Grand Forks, ND (trfnews.i234.me) — Reports are flooding in from multiple national news sources about mass terminations at the National Weather Service (NWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Sources confirm that hundreds of employees received termination letters on Thursday, causing widespread concern about the future of weather forecasting in the U.S.
However, a Grand Forks National Weather Service employee I spoke with personally stated that no one at their office has received termination notices—yet. The layoffs appear to be affecting massive regions across Minnesota and North Dakota, raising questions about how storm forecasts and daily weather predictions will be impacted moving forward.
According to The Washington Post, after reviewing some of the termination letters, employees were dismissed due to being deemed “not fit for continued employment” because their “ability, knowledge, and/or skills do not fit the agency’s current needs.”
At this time, Grand Forks’ NWS office remains unaffected, but the wave of job cuts across the national weather system and NOAA could have serious implications for forecasting and public safety in the coming months.
Stay updated on this developing story here: TRF News
I’m Chris Harper, reporting for TRF News