Staff cuts at the National Weather Service are affecting the Hanford weather office, where they no longer answer the phone to connect you to the friendly local weathercaster. Instead you will hear that you have called the “electronics shop” and are told it will connect you with an “electronics shop analyst.” … Now as summer is upon us and the fire season is near, the NWS office here and in Sacramento have cut their hours of operation, say multiple news sources, even as federal agencies are facing hurricane season in the South and wildfire season out West. … Amid staff shortages caused by the layoffs of hundreds of NWS employees, the list of NWS field locations no longer operating 24 hours per day includes two in California — the Sacramento and Hanford offices. Together these offices serve not only the capital city but also the entire Central Valley and surrounding foothill/mountain regions, including the Sierra.

Other NOAA news:

• E&E News by Politico: Backlog of unsigned contracts paralyzes NOAA
• Seafood Source: Oregon lawmakers warn NOAA, EPA cuts could harm US fisheries