NWS Forecast Staffing Vacancy Rate 20%; In Flood-Pounded States Of AR, KY, Vacancy Rate Is 35%

[hatrack]

Donald Trump on Friday approved an emergency declaration for Kentucky as the central US braces for what experts in the region have warned could be a “generational” flooding event, as severe spring storms that have killed at least seven continue to wreak havoc. Millions are affected across a swath of the US stretching from Texas to Ohio, and the powerful storm system that has raged for two days is expected to stall over the country’s midsection, the National Weather Service (NWS) said, fueling further deluges and possible tornadoes in areas already drenched from thunderstorms bringing heavy rains.

The dangerous weather comes as the Associated Press revealed that due to Trump administration job cuts, nearly half of National Weather Service forecast offices have 20% vacancy rates, according to data obtained by the agency. Detailed vacancy data for all 122 weather field offices show eight offices are missing more than 35% of their staff – including those in Arkansas and Kentucky where tornadoes and torrential rain hit this week – according to statistics crowd-sourced by more than a dozen National Weather Service employees.

Experts said vacancy rates of 20% or higher amount to critical understaffing, and 55 of the 122 sites reach that level. The weather offices issue routine daily forecasts, but also urgent up-to-the-minute warnings during dangerous storm outbreaks such as the tornadoes that killed seven people this week and “catastrophic” flooding that’s continuing through the weekend.

EDIT

Meanwhile, the NWS office in Memphis, Tennessee, said on Friday morning that total rainfall amounts through Sunday could exceed 10-15in across a wide area. “This is not your average flood risk. Generational flooding with devastating impacts is possible,” the service said, according to local media reports. Farther west, more twisters are expected. “We’re concerned there could be some strong but essentially intense tornadoes across north-east Texas up into western Arkansas,” said Evan Bentley, a forecaster at the NWS Storm Prediction Center.

EDIT

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/04/emergency-declaration-kentucky-flooding-weather

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. Well, gosh.

Such a shame.