Aerial view of severe flooding in Frankfort, Kentucky was caused by heavy rains on April 7, 2025. At least 17 people died from the storm that hit the Middle East of the United States. As the National Weather Service is working hard with the Trump administration to lay off nearly 600 jobs, a storm has occurred. Now, the NWS has been authorized to reauthorize more than 100 forecasters, radar technicians and others. Leandro Lozada/AFP via Getty Images Closed subtitles
Miami - After public opposition and attention, the National Weather Service began the process of hiring more than 100 employees to "operate stably" in on-site offices across the country.
The Meteorological Bureau lost nearly 600 positions after a layoff ordered by the Trump administration earlier this year.
National Weather Service spokesman Erica Grow CEI said the new employees will serve in the on-site office with “maximum operational demand.”
Tom Fahy, the union legislative director who represents NWS employees, said the service will fill 126 new positions.
"The categories of positions are meteorologists, hydrologists, physical scientists and electronic technicians," he said. Electronic technicians are key positions responsible for maintaining and repairing weather radar devices and other sensitive equipment. "Radar is an important part of our nation's weather infrastructure to protect the American people from bad weather and dangerous storms," Fahy said.
After the layoffs, some on-site offices no longer have staffed around the clock. Some have also reduced the launch of weather balloons, a key tool for collecting data needed for local and national forecasts, according to the National Weather Service.
Mary Glackin, former deputy secretary of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the NWS parent company, said the Weather Service has been temporarily dispatching employees to offices across the country to cover the staff shortage.
She said the announcement of new employees was acknowledging that layoffs were too much. “We are in a severe weather season and I know that this puts a lot of pressure on the system,” she said, noting that it is also the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season. “This is not a good time to be understaffed.”
The Chief Coalition said the Trump administration granted the Meteorological Agency a waiver for the government-wide recruitment freeze and would begin advertising for "permanent, mission-critical field positions."
Grakin said that in her experience, filling a NOAA position can take several months. She hopes to fill many positions as early as September. She noted that the NWS position was short after the layoffs earlier this year. "It's kind of like putting a band-aid on a pretty big wound," she said.
Faxi said he hopes that many of the approximately 100 NWS employees terminated in the Trump administration’s layoffs may reapply for the positions, some of which may have been trained and certified.