Did staffing cuts at weather service affect Kentucky's tornado response?

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18-05-2025

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National Weather Service officials said an Eastern Kentucky weather service office was fully staffed Friday when severe weather and at least one tornado hit the state, killing at least 19 people.
The National Weather Service is dealing with staffing shortages across the country after more than 600 staffers were either terminated or took early retirement since January amid federal spending cuts by President Donald Trump's administration, according to a union that represents weather service staffers.
As a result, some offices, including the Jackson office, no longer have an overnight staff from roughly midnight to 7 a.m. The Jackson office is short seven staff members, and the other two offices in Kentucky — Paducah and Louisville — are short-staffed too.
There is no meteorologist in charge at any of the three offices. Acting meteorologists in charge, who often have other job duties, are now running those offices.
However, National Weather Service and state officials said the Jackson office, which covers hard-hit Laurel and Pulaski counties, was staffed overnight on Friday when strong winds and likely tornadoes barreled through much of southern Kentucky.
Other offices have stepped up to help when extreme weather is predicted, a spokesperson for the National Weather Service said.
'The National Weather Service offices in Louisville, Jackson and Paducah provided forecast information, timely warnings and decision support in the days and hours leading up to the severe weather on May 16,' said Erica Cei, a spokeswoman for the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, which oversees the weather service.
'As planned in advance, neighboring offices provided staffing support to the office in Jackson, KY,' CEI said. 'Additionally, the Jackson office remained fully staffed through the duration of the event using surge staffing. Weather forecast offices in the Central Region continue to evaluate storm damage and other impacts from this tragic event.'
At a Saturday news conference in Laurel County, Gov Andy Beshear said he had not been alerted to any problems with weather alerts Friday night.
'I have big concerns with cuts to the National Weather Service. I don't see any evidence that it impacted this one,' said Beshear, a Democrat.
Kentucky Emergency Management Director Eric Gibson echoed Beshear's comments. During a Saturday press conference, Gibson said the weather service provided a staffer to help the emergency management agency prepare for and predict the severity of Friday night's storms.
Jackson is not the only office that no longer has enough staff to cover midnight to early morning shifts. According to the union that represents weather service employees, other National Weather Service offices that no longer have 24-hour staffing include:
Goodland, Kans., Northwestern Kansas
.Sacramento, Calif., North Central California.
Hanford, Calif., South Central California.
Cheyenne Wyo. (starting 5/18) Southeast Wyoming.
Marquette, Mich. (starting 5/18) Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Pendleton Ore. (TBD) Northeast Oregon and South-Central Washington State.
Fairbanks, Alaska (starting 6/1/25) – Central and Northern Alaska.
From 2010 to the end of 2024, about 600 people left the National Weather Service, which has roughly 4,200 employees.
This year alone, amid cuts to federal spending, another 600 people have left amid staffing reductions and early retirements, said Tom Fahy, legislative director of the National Weather Service Employees Organization, the union that represents weather service staff.
'For the first time in several decades, not all NWS Weather Forecast Offices will not be 24/7,' Fahy said.
The move is part of a much broader effort by President Donald Trump's administration to slash the federal workforce.
In addition, Trump signed an executive order in January freezing all new hires across the government. That means the understaffed National Weather Service can't hire new people to plug staffing shortages.
The service is giving existing personnel bonuses to move to understaffed areas, Fahy said. But that plan is untenable long term, he said.
The tasks of the National Weather Service are complex and can take months and years to master. The staff is essential for modeling all types of weather events and outcomes, including flooding, Fahy said.
'Transferring employees is not enough. The National Weather Service must be allowed to recruit new employees to fill critical positions — most especially meteorologist and hydrologist positions,' Fahy said.
'The administration and Congress must provide authorization to bring back probationary employees and employees hired under special hiring authorities,' Fahy said. 'These former NWS employees are already trained and prepared to meet the mission. There would be no learning curve for these employees, and it would contribute to the efficiency of the agency.'