Firing of 800 NOAA Employees

[Randy Zipser]

Can you show me where DOGE has cut these launches? I have been sifting through the doge.gov website but don't see it. If the inference is that X$ has been cut and the agency has used its discretion in that way, that's fine. I get it.

There can be discretion in how to meet mandated cuts. In NJ our school district budget failed at the polls and by state law the budget went to the Township government for review. As Board President, I flatly told the Mayor in a public meeting that he could tell us how much to cut but he could not tell us where to cut. (Boy was he mad.)

If NOAA/NWS decides to cut launches in response to budget cuts that is their business but the agency answers to its stakeholders for that discretion.

I had heard about the Alaska balloon-schedule cut a couple of days ago on CNN, I believe it was. Mike Smith also referenced this in his link on Post #53 above, as well as the other cuts in other states, which I was not aware of. Those were the basis of the remark that I made in Post #56.

 

[Boris Konon]

Here is a study on what reduction of soundings to once day in Russia in 2015 did. Degraded ECMWF forecasts.

Global radiosonde network under pressure

www.ecmwf.int

 

[Randy Zipser]

I had heard about the Alaska balloon-schedule cut a couple of days ago on CNN, I believe it was. Mike Smith also referenced this in his link on Post #53 above, as well as the other cuts in other states, which I was not aware of. Those were the basis of the remark that I made in Post #56.

Here are a couple of recent video news stories about the "suspension of weather balloon releases." The YouTube one about Alaska was from March 11, 2025, and the KETV story related to Omaha, NE, and Rapid City, SD, was from yesterday (3/20/25). Both stories clearly state that the balloon-launch suspensions were due to NWS staffing cuts! Certainly germane to the topic of this thread. Please see the long Google links below:

https://www.google.com/search?q=ala...ate=ive&vld=cid:6c472625,vid:-Us06g_4WJc,st:0


Google Search

As a brief side-note to Post #59, when I first created this discussion thread, I knew it might "push the envelope" of controversy: at its core, the principal theme is at the intersection of weather and politics. These are both passionate topics for many ST members, so, understandably, emotions and opinions can sometimes run high! This is a very good thing, IMHO, and ST should be applauded for allowing such open, broad and unfettered discourse. In the case of this thread, however, it may be difficult to not make occasional reference to factual terms, such as DOGE or names of individuals who are associated with the NOAA/NWS staff firings, budget cuts, suspension/abolition of services, etc. What is important here is that the information we all share is really accurate in the sense of more verifiable fact and less unsubstantiated personal opinion. I'm as guilty as any of us who may "blur the line" between the two...but I hope the lively, courteous discussions continue, at least until events in Washington that directly affect NOAA and the NWS simmer down a bit and are no longer part of the daily news headlines. RZ

 

[Boris Konon]

Here are the official PNS announcements stating the RAOB suspensions/reductions.

https://www.weather.gov/media/notification/pdf_2025/pns25-17_Suspension_RAOB_Launches_OAX-UNR.pdf

https://www.weather.gov/media/notification/pdf_2025/pns25-18_Reduction_RAOB_Launches_ABR_GJT_GRB_APX_LBF_RIW.pdf

 

[Randy Zipser]

Here are a couple of recent video news stories about the "suspension of weather balloon releases." The YouTube one about Alaska was from March 11, 2025, and the KETV story related to Omaha, NE, and Rapid City, SD, was from yesterday (3/20/25). Both stories clearly state that the balloon-launch suspensions were due to NWS staffing cuts! Certainly germane to the topic of this thread. Please see the long Google links below:

Google Search


Google Search

As a brief side-note to Post #59, when I first created this discussion thread, I knew it might "push the envelope" of controversy: at its core, the principal theme is at the intersection of weather and politics. These are both passionate topics for many ST members, so, understandably, emotions and opinions can sometimes run high! This is a very good thing, IMHO, and ST should be applauded for allowing such open, broad and unfettered discourse. In the case of this thread, however, it may be difficult to not make occasional reference to factual terms, such as DOGE or names of individuals who are associated with the NOAA/NWS staff firings, budget cuts, suspension/abolition of services, etc. What is important here is that the information we all share is really accurate in the sense of more verifiable fact and less unsubstantiated personal opinion. I'm as guilty as any of us who may "blur the line" between the two...but I hope the lively, courteous discussions continue, at least until events in Washington that directly affect NOAA and the NWS simmer down a bit and are no longer part of the daily news headlines. RZ

The "Google Search" link above about the KETV news story on March 20th is no longer accessible from that link. However the link below is from late yesterday (3/21) and is a good interview with the Chief Meteorologist of the station, Bill Randby, about the NWS balloon-launch suspensions for Omaha and Rapid City areas:

MSN

 

[Lou Ruh]

... it takes about 15 minutes to prep and do a balloon launch (based on what I have read on NWS websites ...

According to https://www.weather.gov/media/directives/010_pdfs/pd01014001curr.pdf ... starting at page E-5 ... it is 45 minutes to do a launch and 17 steps to be done during the observation and 5 post observation steps. Unless this doc has been superseded (this is the most recent one I could find), looks like much more than 15 minutes. Not to mention that some of the terminated folks were Electronics Technicians so if there are issues with all of the electronics involved with balloon soundings, that could also present problems.