National Weather Service hires hundreds to fill hurricane-season gaps

The National Weather Service has started hiring hundreds of entry-level employees after federal cuts stripped away about 15% of its workforce and left key forecast offices short-handed as hurricane season intensified. The staffing gap has raised alarms inside the agency’s coastal warning network, where forecasters, radar operators and local decision-makers are expected to move quickly when storms threaten the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

By early June 2025, NOAA was moving to fill 126 critical vacancies at the Weather Service, after the agency had lost more than 550 employees and was operating about 10% below its staffing levels heading into hurricane season, forcing some offices to lean on reassigned staff or remote coverage to keep forecasts flowing.

Former Weather Service directors warned in an open letter that staffing and program cuts could lead to “needless loss of life,” a stark warning for communities that depend on fast, local calls about storm surge, flash flooding and tornado threats. The loss of institutional knowledge, thinner overnight staffing and reduced coverage at local offices can slow warnings and weaken decision support when severe weather is unfolding.

The Weather Service’s mission is to protect lives and property through timely, accurate and trusted weather, water and climate information. The open positions are mission-critical field jobs meant to stabilize frontline operations, but the hiring process has lagged even as hurricane season has pressed on.

A Government Accountability Office report found that National Weather Service meteorologist staffing at the 21 FAA center weather service units had fallen to 69 active meteorologists as of June 2025, down from an average of 81 from 2019 through 2024. The decline was tied to the federal hiring freeze and deferred resignation program, and remaining staff were strained as they continued to support aviation operations.

The Weather Service’s local offices issue evacuation timing, flood watches and briefings that help emergency managers decide when to move people out of harm’s way.