California lawmakers are growing increasingly concerned about federal staffing cuts at the National Weather Service, which they say are harming the state’s agriculture industry and putting critical fire operations in jeopardy. In a letter dated Wednesday and obtained by The Times, both U.S. senators from California, Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, urged the Trump administration to reverse its considerable cuts to the nation’s leading weather agency, which has lost at least 600 employees to layoffs and buyouts this year. … Their letter follows a Times report which found that two of the six NWS offices in California — Hanford and Sacramento — are among the hardest-hit by federal cuts in the nation. The president and his unofficial Department of Government Efficiency have said the cuts will help save taxpayers money and reduce federal waste.

Other weather forecasting news:

• E&E News by Politico: Weather disasters fuel Hill debate over forecasting