(The Hill) – A South Florida meteorologist warned viewers that the National Weather Service (NWS) shortage would affect his predictions.
In a segment that aired Tuesday on local NBC television station WTVJ, meteorologist John Morales spoke about previous reports of the Hurricane in 2019, saying, “I went to TV with confidence.
“And I’m telling you, I don’t know if I can do that this year.
“Specifically, let’s talk about the National Weather Service and NOAA reductions,” Morales later said. “Did you know that the National Weather Service offices in Central and South Florida currently have a staffing shortage of 20-40% right now? From Tampa to Key West, there is a staffing shortage of 20-40%, including the Miami office.”
Hill reported Monday that the National Weather Service (NWS) is attempting to rehire 126 people after a vast layoff at its agency caused offices to be understaffed.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is part of the NWS, had previously fired hundreds of workers as part of an attempt to reduce the size of the government.
Florida, like other states in the southeastern United States, is often at risk of hurricanes from the Atlantic. Hurricane season just began on Sunday.
“NOAA’s leadership is taking steps to address those who have taken the voluntary early retirement option. The NWS continues to implement short-term temporary missions (TDYS), implementing a series of reallocation notifications (Rons) to carry out roles at the NWS field locations, providing maximum operational needs.
“In addition, to further stabilize frontline operations, the number of eligible permanent mission-critical field positions will soon be promoted under the exception of a sector-wide employment freeze.”
Updated at 9:48pm
