National Weather Service Hiring Again After Major Staff Cuts to Boost Forecasting Capacity

The National Weather Service (NWS) is resuming hiring after significant staff cuts earlier this year, which saw nearly 600 employees leave due to layoffs and early retirements linked to federal workforce reductions. The NWS has obtained an exemption from the federal hiring freeze, allowing it to recruit around 125 new personnel, including meteorologists, hydrologists, physical scientists, and electronics technicians.

These new hires aim to address critical understaffing that forced some forecast offices—such as those in Goodland, Kansas; Sacramento, California; and Cheyenne, Wyoming—to reduce operational hours and eliminate overnight shifts. This understaffing also led to reduced frequency of weather balloon launches, which provide essential atmospheric data for accurate forecasting. Currently, remaining meteorologists have been temporarily reassigned nationwide to cover gaps, but this is only a short-term solution.

The hiring effort comes amid an active severe weather season, including wildfires, tornadoes, hailstorms, and the start of the Atlantic hurricane season, raising concerns about the NWS’s ability to provide timely warnings. NOAA, the NWS’s parent agency, confirmed that the National Hurricane Center remains fully staffed and prioritized.

While the new recruitment is a positive development, it will not fully replace all lost positions, and some offices may continue to face reduced hours. Lawmakers and experts have called for broader hiring authority under public safety exemptions to better restore staffing levels. Overall, the NWS’s renewed hiring is a crucial step toward stabilizing its forecasting capabilities and ensuring public safety during increasingly severe weather events.