The five living former National Weather Service leaders wrote and released an open letter to the American people warning about the impact of staffing and program cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, saying their "worst nightmare" is the cuts will lead to "needless loss of life."
Since the beginning of the year, more than 550 employees have left the National Weather Service, leaving it down 10% of its staffing levels ahead of hurricane season and the busiest time of year. And the proposed budget released by the White House will cut NOAA, the parent agency of the National Weather Service, by nearly 30%, virtually eliminating NOAA's research functions for weather, limiting ocean data observations and decreasing funding for new satellites, they said.
The five signatories — Louis Uccellini, Jack Hayes, Brigadier General D.L. Johnson, Brigadier General John J. Kelly Jr. and E.W. (Joe) Friday — worked under both Republican and Democratic administrations.
"Our worst nightmare is that weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be needless loss of life," their letter said. "We know that's a nightmare shared by those on the forecasting front lines — and by the people who depend on their efforts."
Some forecast offices might be so short-staffed they have to function only part-time, they warned.
"The Houston office has lost all three of its senior meteorologists," Friday told CBS News. "We have many offices across the country that are now having to close at night because they don't have sufficient staff," he said.
Friday pointed to the Easter-weekend storms and floods in Oklahoma that killed two people, which he said could have been forecasted better.
"Those are things that are going to happen with more and more stress on the organization," he said.
Friday said they hope to impress the urgency of the situation upon congressional leaders and the public.
"It is very unusual that all five of us former directors have agreed upon anything," said Friday, who is 86 years old and retired, living in Oklahoma. But collectively, the group felt it was important to the organization and science to share the message, he said.
Specifically, the former NWS directors warned that staffing cuts could have ramifications for airplanes that can't fly without accurate weather observations and forecasts, and ships that rely on storm forecasts to avoid dangerous high seas. Farmers also rely on seasonal forecasts to plant and harvest, they noted.
"As former directors of the National Weather Service, we know firsthand what it takes to make accurate forecasts happen and we stand united against the loss of staff and resources at NWS and are deeply concerned about NOAA as a whole. Join us and raise your voice too," the letter said.
The president's proposed fiscal year 2026 budget would make cuts to the majority of federal agencies, with the average cut being around 35%, according to the White House. It increases spending for the Pentagon and border security. Congress is ultimately responsible for crafting and passing a budget.
According to the proposed budget, NOAA could see more than $1.5-billion in cuts, mostly targeting climate-based research and data collection. But attempting to terminate any activity related to climate will also impact the ability to collect weather data.
Tracy J. Wholf