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Hundreds of weather forecasters and other federal employees at NOAA, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, were fired Thursday, according to lawmakers and weather experts.
The layoffs included meteorologists and those who give crucial forecasts in National Weather Service offices across the country, federal workers who were not let go said.
Cuts at NOAA appeared to be happening in two rounds, with each seeing big numbers: one of 500 and one of 800, said Craig McLean, a former NOAA chief scientist who said he got the information from someone with first-hand knowledge. That amounts to about 5% of NOAA's workforce, NBC News reported.
The first round of cuts were probationary employees, McLean said. There are about 375 probationary employees in the National Weather Service — where day-to-day forecasting and hazard warning is done.
The firings could be subject to legal review. Thursday, a federal judge in San Francisco found that that the mass firings of probationary employees were likely unlawful, granting temporary relief to a coalition of labor unions and organizations that has sued to stop the Trump administration’s massive dismantling of the federal workforce.
Overall, NWS operates 122 weather forecast offices across the United States, Puerto Rico and Guam, staffed 24/7 with meteorologists dedicated to providing weather expertise at a more-localized level to the public. The Chicago-area office is located in southwest suburban Romeoville.
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The firings come amid efforts by billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency to shrink a federal workforce that President Donald Trump has called bloated and sloppy. Thousands of probationary employees across the government have already been fired.
Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., released a statement saying: “Today, hundreds of employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), including weather forecasters at the National Weather Service (NWS), were given termination notices for no good reason. This is unconscionable.”
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Meng added: "These are dedicated, hardworking Americans whose efforts help save lives and property from the devastating impacts of natural disasters across the country. This action will only endanger American lives going forward.”
In a post to X, the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory based in Michigan said its communications services will be "taking an indefinite hiatus."
Due to a reduction in staff, NOAA GLERL's communications services will be taking an indefinite hiatus.
— NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (@NOAA_GLERL) February 27, 2025
Please follow @ciglr_um to stay updated on GLERL and CIGLR's collective Great Lakes science.
According to its website, NOAA GLERL conducts "innovative research on the dynamic environments and ecosystems of the Great Lakes and coastal regions to provide information for resource use and management decisions that lead to safe and sustainable ecosystems, ecosystem services, and human communities."
TODAY's Al Roker also posted to social media about the layoffs, saying the cuts coming near severe weather and hurricane season "cannot be good."
Thursday, a federal judge in San Francisco
What do NOAA staffers do?
In addition to weather monitoring, the agency creates detailed forecasts for airports to support aviation safety and efficiency.
NWS hydrologists monitor water levels and track precipitation to warn the community of impending floods.
Emergency managers and school superintendents use NWS forecasts to determine school cancellations and initiate response plans, including opening cooling or warming centers.
All of the forecast information provided is free and accessible to the public, paid for through federal tax dollars.
The average American pays about $4 in taxes each year to fund NWS, according to the agency.
"The official records for the climate, and that is how many tornadoes we're getting, temperatures, extremes, rainfall, flooding, most of that data is kept at federal level by NOAA," said Trent Ford, the Illinois State Climatologist.
stakeholders, like farmers and city managers, to better mitigate the affects of climate variability.
"Understanding we're in a La Nina winter, what does a La Nina winter mean? We're trying to communicate with farmers that this is probably going to be a wetter spring," said Ford.
"This isn't just a scientific exercise to demonstrate climate change. This is something that's actually informing infrastructure plans. If we're developing subdivisions or redeveloping parts of the city and county, and we need to know how big of a culvert to put in, how big of a retention pond to put in, so new homes put in are not flooded by next rain event, we need to know how rainfall is changing. People want to know that because they want to build the best infrastructure we can."
