The scientific impact of Trump’s cuts to NOAA and the National Weather Service

Amna Nawaz:

As Lisa mentioned, hundreds of staff have been laid off at NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That includes employees of the National Weather Service. That's behind forecasts and severe weather alerts across the country. It also provides crucial data for scientists and meteorologists.

To help us understand the potential impact, we're joined now by science correspondent Miles O'Brien.

Miles, it's always great to see you.

I have to say, the National Weather Service, it's one of those things we almost take for granted. And there are other weather services out there. So why is this one so important?

Miles O'Brien:

It is easy to take for granted, Amna, almost invisible in some ways, but it is truly the backbone of all weather forecasting in this country.

It's freely available to all. Airlines, first responders, farmers, fishermen all depend on these forecasts. They also issue crucial warnings for hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, even tsunamis. And there are many services out there that add bells and whistles to this raw data, but they would be lost without the National Weather Service.

Matthew Cappucci is a senior meteorologist for one of those private services, MyRadar.

Matthew Cappucci, Senior Meteorologist, MyRadar:

Any time your phone buzzes with a watch, a warning, a tornado warning, a flash flood warning, that comes from the National Weather Service, people sitting there watching the radar nonstop and producing forecasts as well.

It's estimated that the Weather Service cost taxpayers about $1.3-$1.4 billion, but gives a 50-plus fold return on investment, given how much of the economy is tied to weather forecasts.

Amna Nawaz:

Miles, there are already cuts in personnel and expertise being made. There's some people posting about a routine weather balloon in Alaska, for example, that's not going up. How important is that?

Miles O'Brien:

The weather balloon in Alaska story is an interesting one. It seems sort of inconsequential, but it's crucial. That's an important part of the world for the weather. It's where cold air and warm air combine.

Satellites are eliminated there because of the cloud cover. And balloons provide data, which satellites can't. They do temperature, humidity and pressure as they rise up. And everything they learn there feeds the forecast for the rest of North America.

Here's more from Matthew Cappucci.

Matthew Cappucci:

Imagine going to bed not knowing if a tornado is coming your direction, but you're relying on these warnings that come from the National Weather Service. Now imagine that office is short-staffed. They might not have enough people watching enough things all at once and suddenly warning quality is degraded. That has real-life implications that could, of course, in some cases be very dire.

Amna Nawaz:

So, Miles, these firings are all part of the government's efforts, it says, to cut bloat. Is there bloat to cut at the National Weather Service?

Miles O'Brien:

Sure. The National Weather Service has 122 forecast offices, 13 regional centers, nine national centers. They're all looking at the weather. There's a lot of duplication in all of that.

But this is something that cries out for more of a scalpel than a sledgehammer in this case. And particularly in this case, the probationary workers, in some cases, these are workers who are — have a lot of experience and are transitioning to a new job in a probationary mode.

But also importantly, young people, which are the lifeblood of these organizations, are obviously the probationary workers. And as you look toward a weather forecasting system that requires fewer people using artificial intelligence and other technology, it's precisely these young people that you want to have working for you, Amna.

Amna Nawaz:

Science correspondent Miles O'Brien.

Miles, it's always great to see you. Thank you so much.

Miles O'Brien:

You're welcome, Amna.