Trump cuts to National Weather Service leave Kentucky offices understaffed
As Kentucky recovers from another round of severe storms that have killed at least 18 people, the three National Weather Service offices in Kentucky have been hobbled by low staffing levels, according to media reports and union officials.
The Jackson office in Breathitt County no longer has enough staff to cover overnight shifts, according to the Washington Post and union officials.
During a Saturday news conference about the tornadoes, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear said he was concerned about the cuts to the National Weather Service. However, he did not believe there were any problems with alerts on Friday night, he said.
“I have big concerns with cuts to the National Weather Service. I don’t see any evidence that it impacted this one,” Beshear said at a Saturday afternoon briefing.
A spokesperson for the National Weather Service said the Kentucky offices issued alerts in the days and hours leading up to Friday night’s storms. In addition, it staffed the Jackson office overnight Friday because staff knew the storm system could be potentially life-threatening.
“As planned in advance, neighboring offices provided staffing support to the office in Jackson, KY. Additionally, the Jackson office remained fully staffed through the duration of the event using surge staffing. Weather forecast offices in the Central Region continue to evaluate storm damage and other impacts from this tragic event,” said Erica Cei, a spokeswoman for the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.
Kentucky Emergency Management Director Eric Gibson said Saturday he has been in constant contact with the weather service throughout the storm event that devastated a Laurel County subdivision and did considerable damage to a commercial district in Somerset’s south side.
The office also released dozens of warnings and alerts throughout Friday into Saturday morning, its social media pages show.
The Jackson office is responsible for forecasts in Eastern Kentucky, which has been hit hard the past two years with severe flooding, including a devastating 2022 flood that killed 45 people and two rounds of flooding this year that left several people dead.
There is no meteorologist supervisor at any of the three Kentucky offices — Jackson, Paducah and Louisville. Instead, there are acting meteorologists in charge who often have multiple job duties, said Tom Fahy, legislative director for the National Weather Service Employee Service Organization. That’s the union that represents National Weather Service staff.
At least 75 people died in a series of tornadoes in Western Kentucky in December 2021, one of the nation’s deadliest December tornadoes.
Jackson is down seven employees — a combination of meteorologists and technicians who help keep radar and other equipment running. Louisville is short eight positions. Paducah is short seven positions, including a senior hydrologist who helps model where flooding can occur, Fahy said.
The National Weather Service also has an office in Wilmington, Ohio, that produces forecasts for much of Northern Kentucky.
Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees the National Weather Service, declined to provide information on staffing levels.
“The National Weather Service continues to meet its core mission of providing life-saving forecasts, warnings, and decision support services to the public, our partners and stakeholders,” said Kim Doster, communications director for NOAA.” In the near term, NWS has updated the service level standards for its weather forecast offices to manage impacts due to shifting personnel resources.”
The weather service cuts were part of a wider effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to ax the federal workforce and cut spending.
More than 600 National Weather Service staff out of more than 4,200 were fired or took early retirement since January, according to Fahy. That’s the same number of people who left the service over a 15-year period from 2010 to early January, Fahy said.
“These are people who went to school for four to six years to become a meteorologist. This was their dream to work for the National Weather Service. And many left because they were scared,” Fahy said.
That means multiple National Weather Service offices, including Jackson, do not have staff monitoring weather conditions during late-night shifts. That’s important because weather conditions can change rapidly, Fahy said.
All commercial weather programs —from the Weather Channel, AccuWeather to weather apps — are dependent on National Weather Service data. Commercial weather cannot replace the National Weather Service, Fahy said.
Other offices covering for Jackson
Nee Jackson, director of emergency management for Pike County, said other Kentucky offices are now covering for the Jackson office during the overnight hours when the office is not staffed.
“It’s working for now. It is concerning. I don’t know how long they can keep this up,” Jackson said.
On Friday, for example, Kentucky’s largest county had multiple thunderstorm alerts and severe weather warnings. The storm system was supposed to continue into the night.
Jackson said he has been told by weather service staff that if there is a predicted severe weather event in Eastern Kentucky that goes into the night, the weather service will make sure those shifts are covered.
Still, Jackson is used to talking to the National Weather Service staff in Breathitt County, sometimes multiple times in a 24-hour period, particularly during severe weather events like February flooding that hit Pike County hard.
“I don’t even have to tell them my name. They recognize my voice,” he said.
Water levels can rise quickly in Eastern Kentucky. Experienced, knowledgeable staff who know the area well are critical to preventing the loss of life, Jackson said.
Many of the people who voluntarily retired had decades of experience with the weather service, Fahy said. That knowledge is now gone, he said.
The service is now trying to pay moving expenses for meteorologists to move to understaffed areas, according to multiple media reports. It can’t hire new staff because Trump enacted a hiring freeze in January that was recently extended until July.
This story was originally published May 16, 2025 at 10:36 AM.
