Former National Weather Service meteorologists say an influx of newly hired forecasters will help replenish the agency's ranks after deep staffing cuts, but they warn the loss of veteran expertise could pose challenges as America heads into the heart of hurricane season, reports CBS News.
The Weather Service has hired more than 300 employees as of late June, including meteorologists, hydrologists, electronics technicians, and other scientists, according to agency spokesperson Erica Cei.
Roughly 50 employees were onboarded in the past two months after the agency announced in May that it would recruit an additional 150 entry-level meteorologists to staff forecast offices nationwide.
"Our hiring actions and plans are robust and will continue as needed," Cei said. "The agency is well postured to recruit entry-level candidates to fortify our front lines and build talent pipelines for the future."
The recruitment drive follows a period of significant staff departures that left the Weather Service with hundreds fewer employees than it had at the start of 2025, including many veteran forecasters.
About 600 employees left the agency, many of them veteran forecasters, while federal employment data shows NOAA still employed nearly 300 fewer meteorologists and hydrologists at the end of May than it did in January 2025.
Alan Gerard, who spent 35 years with the Weather Service and its parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, before retiring early last year, said turnover is inevitable but should occur gradually.
"Obviously, people retiring and new people coming up is a natural part of any business or agency," Gerard said.
"But it's meant to be done in an organized process, where the new people coming in have the benefit of working for a period with people who are experienced and can help train them and build up their expertise."
Rick Thoman, a former Weather Service meteorologist who specialized in Alaska forecasting, said staffing losses have been particularly difficult in a state where forecasting requires years of local experience.
"Alaska is not like forecasting for Nebraska, and there are no schools of meteorology in Alaska. Everyone has to come here and learn it," Thoman said. "So, even though there's some effort to increase staffing now, because there are no old-timers left, and folks come in here without any experience in high-latitude weather forecasting, it just makes it that much harder."
Former Weather Service meteorologist Brian LaMarre, who retired early last year after three decades with the agency, said the service is experiencing "growing pains" but also stands to benefit from a new generation of employees.
"I think the National Weather Service is going through some growing pains at the current time, with the loss of late-career experience," LaMarre said.
"But things are gaining on the front end with the new generation of ideas, the new generation of skills, especially in this extremely advanced technology era that we have right now."
The concerns come as some Weather Service offices continue to face temporary staffing shortages and reduced weather balloon launches, limiting the collection of upper-air data that meteorologists consider critical for forecasting rapidly changing weather, including hurricanes and other severe storms.
Agency officials say neighboring forecast offices are providing support to ensure forecasts and warnings continue without interruption.