BBC Verify found NWS lost 600 of 4,200 staff due to voluntary redundancies, early retirements, and layoffs.
Following the deadly Texas floods, some Democrats have blamed Trump-era cuts to federal agencies, suggesting reduced staffing at the National Weather Service (NWS) may have impaired disaster forecasting. Senator Chris Murphy warned, “Accurate weather forecasting helps avoid fatal disasters.”
However, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, “These offices were well staffed… any claims to the contrary are completely false.”
BBC Verify found NWS lost 600 of 4,200 staff due to voluntary redundancies, early retirements, and layoffs. In April, the Associated Press reported that half of NWS offices had a 20% vacancy rate.
Still, experts said forecasts during the floods were adequate. “The challenge was forecasting extreme, localized rainfall,” said Prof. Avantika Gori of Rice University. Former NOAA scientist Andy Hazelton added, “They got the watches and the warnings out.”
Local offices in San Antonio and San Angelo had vacancies but added staff ahead of the storm. “All forecasts and warnings were issued in a timely manner,” said NWS spokesperson Erica Grow Cei.
There’s no evidence balloon launch cuts affected forecasts in the flood zone.