Meteorologists across the country are sounding the alarm as President Donald Trump's administration fires hundreds of workers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) -- the country's top source for day-to-day weather forecasting and research.
The mass firings are part of the latest budget cuts to the federal government, and over 800 employees are expected to lose their jobs, according to lawmakers and news reports.
The NOAA, which oversees agencies such as the National Weather Service, is responsible for daily weather forecasts, climate monitoring and severe weather warnings, according to the agency's website.
"Today my heart hurts, I'm at a loss for words and I am upset," Kelsey Emery, a meteorologist for WLNS in Lansing, Michigan, said in a Facebook post. "This decision will have catastrophic impacts. Why? The forecasts you get from me or anyone on TV are strongly influenced by the NWS. The alerts you get on your phone during severe weather season (thunderstorms and tornadoes) are all issued by the NWS."
The first round of layoffs, which consisted of approximately 375 probationary employees, were announced Thursday, The Associated Press reported. The outlet said more are expected Friday, and the administration has fired thousands of probationary employees in an effort to downsize the federal government.
"Today is a sad and scary day for meteorology," Grant Tosterud, a meteorologist for KRQE in Alburquerque, New Mexico, said in a Feb. 27 Facebook post. "These NOAA and National Weather Service employees are critical to public safety and weather forecasting. These agencies are already understaffed and these cuts will put (people's) lives at risk."
The NOAA employs approximately 13,000 people, according to The New York Times.
The agency did not immediately respond to McClatchy News' request for comment Feb. 28.
Al Roker, known for his weather reports on the "Today" show, also warned about the potential fallout of the decision.
"Folks, NOAA/NWS is more than just forecasts," he said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. "It's fire weather. It's severe weather outlooks. It's climate. It's information that our FARMERS use day in and day out making us the breadbasket of the world. This agency monitors our oceans, our fisheries' health. It touches our lives in ways you cannot even imagine."
Initial emails sent to probationary employees on Feb. 27 said they "are not fit for continued employment because your ability, knowledge and/or skills do not fit the Agency's current needs," according to a copy of the email shared with Andrew Pritchard, a meteorologist in the Champaign-Urbana area in Illinois, who posted it on Facebook.
"I am telling you as a meteorologist, scientist, and weather safety professional, that these decisions have made us all less safe and will have ripple effects that set us back in weather research and weather forecasting for years to come," Pritchard said in a Facebook post.