U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told a Senate hearing that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is “fully staffed” with weather forecasters and scientists after concerns were raised about some offices losing 24-hour staffing ahead of hurricane season. “We are fully staffed with forecasters and scientists. Under no circumstances am I going to let public safety or public forecasting be touched,” Lutnick told a Senate appropriations subcommittee overseeing NOAA, saying he got the National Weather Service (NWS) exempted from a federal hiring freeze. NOAA, which includes the NWS, lost around 1,000 people or 10% of its workforce amid federal job layoffs in the first months of the second Trump administration, including 600 at the weather service. At least six NWS offices had stopped the routine twice-a-day weather balloon launches that collect data for weather models. … The agency had been scrambling to reassign staffers internally to fill gaps in understaffed offices over the last few months, sources have told Reuters.

Other NOAA staffing news:

• CBS8 (San Diego): Wildfire forecasting at risk as NOAA staffing shortages raise local concerns
• The American Prospect: Blog: Why would Trump gut FEMA and NOAA?