‘Flying blind': Florida weatherman tells viewers Trump cuts will harm forecasts
A leading TV weatherman in Florida has warned viewers on air that he may not be able to properly inform them of incoming hurricanes because of cuts by the Trump administration to federal weather forecasting.
John Morales, a veteran meteorologist at NBC 6 South Florida, told viewers on Monday night that Donald Trump's cuts to climate and weather agencies mean that forecasters will be 'flying blind' into what is expected to be an active hurricane season.
Recalling Hurricane Dorian, which devastated the Bahamas in 2019 and appeared to be heading straight for Florida, Morales said he was confidently able to assure worried viewers it would turn away from the state.
Related: Key US weather monitoring offices understaffed as hurricane season starts
'I am here to tell you I'm not sure I can do that this year,' he said. 'Because of the cuts, the gutting, the sledgehammer attack on science in general.'
Morales said that the attacks by the Trump administration on science would have a 'multigenerational impact on science in this country' and will specifically hamper his job due to the slashing of hundreds of jobs at the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa).
'Did you know central and south Florida National Weather Service offices are currently 20% to 40% understaffed, from Tampa to Key West?' Morales said, referencing the widespread staff shortages in weather service offices along the hurricane-prone Gulf of Mexico coast and Puerto Rico.
'This type of staffing shortage is having impacts across the nation because there has been a 20% reduction in weather balloon releases, launches. What we are starting to see is the quality of the forecast is becoming degraded.'
TV forecasters such as Morales, as well as private weather forecasting services and apps, rely upon federal scientists for data gleaned from sources such as satellites, weather balloon launches and aircraft surveys. Morales warned viewers that Noaa 'hurricane hunter' aircraft may not be able to fly this year and 'with less reconnaissance we may be flying blind and we may not exactly know how strong a hurricane is before it reaches the coastline'.
On Thursday, Morales told the Guardian that he stood by his statements and that the 'message was clear' to viewers. Asked if he was worried about retaliation from an administration that has sought to defund and disparage scientists, Morales said: 'No, not at all. Science is science.'
Noaa has predicted that the US's hurricane season, which officially started on Sunday, will be more active than usual, with as many as five major hurricanes with winds of 111mph (179km/h) or more. This has heightened concerns over the consequences of funding cuts by Trump as part of the president's attempts to shrink the federal workforce.
After losing 600 staff to layoffs and early retirements, causing it to admit to 'degraded operations' with fewer staff to handle forecasts, the National Weather Service was this week given special permission to hire 100 forecasters, radar technicians and others despite a government-wide hiring freeze. The Trump administration has insisted the American public will be properly informed of hurricane risks despite the cuts.
But experts have said that much more will need to be done to ensure the weather service is not overstretched and for the US to become better prepared for extreme weather impacts that are escalating due to global heating. Trump has regularly dismissed the established science of climate change, calling it a 'giant hoax' and 'bullshit'.
On air on Monday, Morales said viewers should rally to protect the National Weather Service. 'What you need to do is call your representatives and make sure these cuts are stopped,' he said.
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