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As storm season begins, America's weather service is still reeling from sweeping cuts imposed by the Trump administration — and forecasters warn the consequences could be fatal. The story begins on a Monday evening in April 2026, when five tornadoes touched down near Kansas City — including one powerful enough to tear through a swathe of buildings in the town of Ottawa, Kansas. The forecast issued that afternoon had predicted no chance of tornadoes.
Understanding exactly why such a forecast fails is challenging. But several missed or delayed weather balloon launches in the region that morning — potentially linked to staffing shortages prompted by steep cuts by the Trump administration to US weather agencies — could have been a factor.
In 2025, more than one thousand staffers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) — including dozens of senior meteorologists at the National Weather Service — were fired or accepted voluntary buyouts. The administration has since tried to walk back the cuts due to public outcry, scrambling to rehire hundreds of staffers and insisting, in the words of one NWS spokesperson, that "NOAA's weather model performance shows no evidence of degradation".
But outside meteorologists warn that a year on from the cuts, the weather service remains chronically understaffed at the worst possible time. "Some of us who monitor severe weather forecasts closely have felt that the Storm Prediction Center has had more 'less-than-perfect' forecasts than normal," says Professor William Gallus, a meteorologist at the University of Iowa. "That's a bigger problem than getting caught in the rain: accurate forecasts are a critical part of minimising damages from extreme events."
To reel from — to be staggered by, to suffer from. Sweeping — wide-ranging, extensive. Tornado — violent rotating column of air. Buyout — payment offered to leave a job. Outcry — strong public reaction. Understaffed — without enough employees.
What are the risks of cutting funding to scientific agencies? How do you balance budget priorities with public safety?
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