Normally I don’t post political stories on this blog, because they make everyone mad and don’t promote either good climate science or agriculture. But as a former National Weather Service employee I was unhappy when I read an article today on Yahoo News which described the effects that the budget recently released by President Trump would have on the NWS. According to the article, the NOAA budget would be cut by around $8 million, which would force a cut in about 8 percent of the job force. The NWS, which is part of NOAA, would lose 355 people in all, of which 248 are weather forecasters. This after one of the busiest tropical seasons on record, including several that made direct hits on the US. Not to mention the snowstorms, wildfires and other disasters that affected the US this year.
Fortunately, I don’t think the budget has a chance of passing. Congress is well aware of the importance of timely warnings as well as regular forecasts that the NWS provides to their constituents (voters) across the country. That’s good news for those who like good science and effective agriculture, since the value provided by the NWS far outweighs the cost of their employees and technology. I will be interested to see what happens to NOAA’s budget as it works its way through the meat grinder that is Congress.
You can read the story at https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-wants-fire-248-national-121934378.html.
