♪♪ >> ERIC: THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS PROPOSED SOME SIGNIFICANT CUTS TO THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, KNOWN AS NOAA.

THE CUTS COULD IMPACT SEVERE WEATHER FORECASTING AND MANY AREAS OF WEATHER AND CLIMATE RESEARCH.

OUR TWO WEATHER GURUS ARE HERE TO HIGHLIGHT WHAT THESE CUTS MEAN FOR FUTURE FORECASTING.

MARK SEELEY IS THE AUTHOR OF "MINNESOTA WEATHER ALMANAC" AND A PROFESSOR EMERITUS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA.

PAUL DOUGLAS IS BACK.

WHEN PAUL ISN'T ON OUR AIRWAVES, YOU CAN CATCH HIS PREDICTIONS IN THE "STAR TRIBUNE."

IN HIS SPARE TIME, HE RUNS HIS OWN WEATHER COMPANY PRAEDICTIX.

ARE GAPS ALREADY SHOWING UP IN FORECASTING OR DO WE -- HAVE WE FELT THE EFFECTS OF THIS YET, OR ARE PEOPLE PITCHING IN AND DOING OVERTIME OR WHAT'S GOING ON?

>> YEAH, I THINK THE PERSONNEL CUTS ARE -- I DON'T KNOW THAT THEY'RE SHOWING UP YET IN TERMS OF FAULTY FORECASTS OR THINGS LIKE THAT.

BUT THEY'RE OF GREAT CONCERN.

I THINK PAUL AND I ARE BOTH AGREED ON THIS.

YOU NOW, THERE'S ROUGHLY 13,000 EMPLOYEES IN N.O.A.A.

NATIONWIDE.

AND THE TARGETED CUTS WERE TO ELIMINATE BETWEEN 10 AND 20% OF THEM.

AND ALREADY, BEFORE GOING INTO THIS, WHAT THE -- YOUR VIEWERS SHOULD KNOW IS, N.O.A.A.

WAS ALREADY UNDERFUNDED, AND TO A DEGREE, UNDERSTAFFED ALREADY.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A 24/7 OPERATION.

ROTATING SHIFTS ALL OVER 100 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, BESIDES ALL THE SPECIALIZED OFFICES AND THEY'RE ALL SCRAMBLING TO KEEP ALL OF THEIR FUNCTIONS GOING.

>> Cathy: SO WHAT WAS HAPPENING HERE, PAUL?

I MEAN, I'VE HEARD THAT SOME OF THE LOCAL OFFICES WERE, YOU KNOW, 20 TO 40% VACANCY RATES WHICH IS AMAZING.

WERE THERE RETIREMENTS THEN PRIOR TO WHAT -- THESE CUTS?

>> I THINK -- SOME OF THIS WAS THE OFFER OF EARLY RETIREMENTS.

AND IT WASN'T JUST ENTRY-LEVEL POSITIONS.

THERE WERE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN THERE 20, 30, 40 YEARS.

WHO GOT CUT.

AND PEOPLE MAY SAY, WELL, AND I'VE HEARD THIS A COUPLE OF TIMES, PAUL, I HAVE THESE APPS ON MY PHONE.

WELL, NOAA PROVIDES THE DATA THAT POWERS EVERYTHING, INCLUDING THE FANCY GRAPHICS, LOCAL TELEVISION NEWS.

WE HAVE THE MOST EXTREME WEATHER, CATHY, OF ANY NATION ON EARTH.

BY NATURE OF OUR -- THE SIZE OF AMERICA, AND THE GEOGRAPHY.

THIS IS A MOSCH PIT FOR TORNADOES, HURRICANES, FLOODS, FIRES.

WE SHOULD PROBABLY HAVE A WEATHER SERVICE THAT'S UP TO THE TASK.

OUR WEATHER SERVICE WAS AND STILL IS THE ENVY OF THE WORLD.

AND I WORRY THAT THESE CUTS ARE GOING TO SHOW UP OVER TIME AT THE MOST INOPPORTUNE TIMES, TORNADO OUTBREAKS.

WE ASSUME A ORNADO WARNING WILL GO OUT BEFORE THE TORNADO HITS.

>> Cathy: YES.

>> SOME OFFICES NOW, THERE ARE 122 OF THESE LOCAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICES.

SOME OF THEM DON'T HAVE 24/7 COVERAGE.

AND MANY TIMES EXTREME WEATHER STRIKES UNEXPECTEDLY AT NIGHT.

YOU EXPECT THE WARNING TO GO OUT.

BEFORE THE FLOOD WATERS LAP AT YOUR FEET.

>> Cathy: OR THE TORNADO TOUCHES DOWN.

>> YES.

AND YOU EXPECT THE FORECAST TO GRADUALLY GET BETTER OVER TIME BY CUTTING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, WE'RE CUTTING TO THE BONE.

AS A BUSINESS OWNER, I'M ALL FOR EFFICIENCY.

YOU MAKE TOUGH CUTS WHEN OU HAVE TO.

BUT TO ME, IT SEEMS LIKE A CLASSIC CASE OF READY, AIM, FIRE, THAT'S THE WAY IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN, IT AS READY, FIRE, AIM.

AND THEY DIDN'T DO ANY DUE DILIGENCE, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, ABOUT, WHAT SHOULD WE CUT?

>> Cathy: WHAT DID -- YOU ARE A CLIMATOLOGIST.

SO ARE WE ALSO SEEING CUTS IN THAT INFORMATION?

THE CLIMATOLOGY INFORMATION?

AND THEN HOW DOES THAT WORK WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE?

>> YEAH, THAT'S VERY DISCONCERTING TOO, CATHY.

THE CUTS IN THE CLIMATE DATA AND SOME OF THE REGIONAL CLIMATE CENTERS WERE HUT DOWN LAST MONTH.

FOR BRIEFLY.

CONGRESS REINSTATED THEM AFTER A FEW DAYS.

BUT THE BACKGROUND DATA COLLECTION, THE DATA NETWORK THAT WE HAVE IN THIS COUNTRY IS SECOND TO NONE.

AND WE'RE VERY PROUD, BY THE WAY, OF OUR MINNESOTA DATA NETWORK.

IT'S VERY ROBUST.

AND ALL OF THOSE DATA ARE SED FOR SO MANY PURPOSES THAT THE PUBLIC DON'T FULLY REALIZE IN TERMS OF DROUGHT MONITORING, IN TERMS OF WILDFIRE THREAT ASSESSMENT.

THE DATA GO INTO SO MANY DIFFERENT APPLICATIONS SO THAT WE CAN ADJUST OUR INFRASTRUCTURE AND OUR MANAGEMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES TO HAT THE CLIMATE'S DOING.

AND NOW OF COURSE WITH THE CLIMATE CHANGE GOING ON IN THE BACKGROUND, IN A STATE LIKE MINNESOTA AND MANY OTHER STATES WHERE IT'S REALLY ACCELERATED, WE'RE GOING TO LOSE THE ABILITY TO EEP UP WITH IT, WHICH IS REALLY GOING TO BE HINDERING OUR ADAPTATION PRACTICES.

IN AGRICULTURE, ENERGY, TRANSPORTATION, THE WHOLE GAMUT.

SO THIS IS A REAL SERIOUS THREAT FOR THE FUTURE.

IF WE ARE DEPRIVED OF ACCESS TO THAT ROBUST DATA.

>> Eric: FOR THE PUBLIC THAT MAY SEE A METEOROLOGIST ON TV, YOU'VE GOT YOUR OWN DOPPLER RADAR, YOU'VE GOT THE EUROPEAN MODEL WHICH I ASSUME ISN'T CONNECTED TO NOAA.

IS THERE GOOD ALTERNATIVES OUT THERE?

>> THE EUROPEAN MODEL, WHICH I LIKE, AND MANY TIMES I PREFER, IS DEPENDENT ON NOAA DATA.

EVERY DAY, NOAA HANDLES 6.3 BILLION OBSERVATIONS.

THAT'S THE FUEL THAT GOES INTO THE WEATHER MODELS.

SO YOU PUT JUNK IN, YOU GET JUNK OUT.

IT'S LIKE PUTTING LOW OCTANE FUEL IN YOUR VEHICLE AND THEN WONDERING WHY THE ENGINE IS KNOCKING.

AND I THINK IT MAY POP UP AT THE MOST INOPPORTUNE TIMES WHEN SEVERE WEATHER IS IMMINENT.

YOU KNOW, I'M WORRIED ABOUT HURRICANE SEASON.

WE COULD TALK ABOUT FEMA.

FOR TEN MINUTES OR LONGER.

YOU KNOW, WHAT HAPPENS?

ARE WE LEAVING IT UP TO EACH STATE?

IS IT EVERY STATE FOR THEMSELVES NOW?

SO IF YOU'LL NOT A LITTLE BIT -- IF YOU'RE NOT A LITTLE BIT PARANOID, YOU MAY NOT E PAYING ATTENTION.

AND I THINK THE SAME PEOPLE SAYING, WELL, YEAH, WE NEED CUTS, WE NEED EFFICIENCY, THEY MAY BE THE FIRST TO RAISE THEIR HANDS AND SAY, WHERE'S MY ECOVERY MONEY?

HOW DO I REBUILD MY HOUSE?

WHY WASN'T THE TORNADO WARNING 20 MINUTES IN ADVANCE?

AND SO I JUST -- I'M NERVOUS.

A LOT OF METEOROLOGISTS ARE NERVOUS.

WHATEVER JOB YOU DO, YOU WANT THE BEST TOOLS.

AND RIGHT NOW, WE ARE DULLING SOME OF THE TOOLS THAT NOAA IS USING.

WE ARE DEGRADING THE GREATEST WEATHER SERVICE ON THE PLANET.

>> Cathy: WHAT DOES HIS DO FOR YOUNG METEOROLOGISTS WHO ARE STILL IN SCHOOL AND THEY LOOK AT THEIR JOB PROSPECTS, WHICH DON'T LOOK GREAT?

SO YOU HAVE A TALENT PIPELINE THAT APPEARS TO BE POTENTIALLY COMPROMISED, MAYBE?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

YEAH, JUST AS PAUL SAID, AND INSINUATED THAT WE HAVE HAD A LOT OF INTELLECT CAPACITY LEAVE THE WEATHER SERVICE IN RECENT MONTHS, LOTS OF EXPERIENTIAL KNOWLEDGE THERE.

WE'VE GOT ALL OF THE YOUNGER PEOPLE COMING IN WITH FRESH NEW TOOLS AND FRESH NEW TECHNIQUES AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE TO DO THE FORECASTING.

AND WE GOT TO HAVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM.

WE GOT TO OPEN UP THE DOORS.

WE GOT TO START FILLING THESE VACANCIES.

THEY'VE BEEN TRAINED AT THE -- WE HAVE SOME OF THE BEST SCHOOLS OF METEOROLOGY IN THE WORLD IN OUR COUNTRY AND THEY'VE BEEN WELL TRAINED AND WE GOT TO HAVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM.

IT'S NOT ALL GOING TO GO IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR.

THAT'S SILLY.

THE BACKBONE, AS PAUL SAID, THE BACKBONE OF OUR WHOLE INFRASTRUCTURE IN WEATHER AND CLIMATE MATTERS IS NOAA.

THAT'S THE BACKBONE OF THE WHOLE SYSTEM.

>> Cathy: YOU GUYS ARE GREAT AS ALWAYS.

THANKS FOR LAYING OUT A PICTURE FOR US.