A Misguided Story About the National Weather Service's Current Challenges

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The Kansas City Star yesterday ran a story about the National Weather Service’s (NWS) Kansas City (KC) operations. Specifically, the newspaper is concerned that, with the recent layoffs, the NWS will not be able to continue to deliver what I call “corporate welfare.” Screen captures from the story:

 

NASCAR’s Kansas Speedway Races

National Football League Draft


So, the Star is worried the NWS will not be able to continue to provide on-site corporate welfare. 

 

The National Weather Service’s mission is, and has always been, to provide data, forecasts and warnings to the public. If a business (e.g., Kansas Speedway) can use that same data for their operations, great. But, if they need on-site meteorologists or other specialized services, that is what private-sector commercial weather organizations are for. The newspaper evidently believes there isn’t sufficient money in the NASCAR or NFL’s budget to hire a meteorologist for a couple of thousand dollars and that taxpayers should subsidize these services. They want the already short-handed NWS – and they were short-handed before President Trump was sworn in --  to send meteorologists every time a local business wants one. 


1:10 am KC radar, June 8, 2022. The tornado had just touched down at this point. No sirens were sounding
nor were television meteorologists broadcasting a warning. Why? The tornado warning wasn't issued until 1:19am. 


In 2022, during the Biden Administration, an obvious tornado developed over the southwest part of the Kansas City area in the middle of the night. The NWS did not provide a timely and accurate warning to the public. The KC NWS radar was on the wrong setting (it was surveying the weather at 420 second, instead of 80 second, intervals) and they missed the fact the radar showed debris being lofted by the tornado! 

South Kansas City Tornado, June 8, 2022


Even though the tornado was obvious on radar at 1:10am, the tornado warning wasn’t issued until 1:21am, after the tornado had produced damage along much of its path (below, in green).


The total path of the south Kansas City Tornado, June 8, 2022. The tornado warning wasn't
issued until the storm crossed the border into Missouri. 


There is no doubt that if an identical situation involving poor quality warnings develops on June 8 of this year, it will be blamed on the “cuts,” -- when the NWS’s real problem is a staff inadequately trained to handle extreme weather events. This concern was reinforced by the questionable quality of the tornado warnings in St. Louis just two weeks ago.   

 

After reading the entire piece, it feels like the Kansas City Star is just hoping there will be a major event missed so they can blame something else on President Trump. 

 

So we are clear: NWS and NOAA (especially the latter) desperately need reform. President Trump, so far, has gone about it the wrong way. His administration has been using a sledge hammer when a scalpel, combined with a vision for the future of the organization, is what is needed. 

 

That stated, it helps no one to misstate the substantial scientific and personnel issues facing the future of the National Weather Service. 

Comments

  1. DougMay 28, 2025 at 4:04 PM

    Mike, you are mistaken about the NWS providing on site support to private interests. The support provided by on site NWS meteorologists (like myself) is only to emergency managers and law enforcement who are at the site for public safety. We are specifically told not to provide weather information to anyone but EMs and law enforcement. If NASCAR or people associated with the speedway are in earshot during the briefings, then that can't be helped, but we are there to support the public safety officials. NASCAR has their own source for weather information and does not consult the NWS.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mike SmithMay 28, 2025 at 4:19 PM

      Thanks for your comment, Doug. However, what you are saying is a distinction without a difference as demonstrated by your words, "if NASCAR or people associated with the speedway are in earshot during the briefings, then that can't be helped." If NWS meteorologists go to the speedway with people are in the room, then the NWS is briefing the speedway.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousMay 28, 2025 at 8:32 PM

    I worked in the NWS for over 25 years, retiring seven years ago. During my last ten years, I thought the "on-site" NWS meteorologist concept was taking away from the NWS' mission at the station--it seemed to take the concept of NWS outreach to the extreme. Instead of being away, the people at the office can provide the same information via conference calls, etc. I know as we did at a coastal NWS office during many hurricane landfall situations, major floods, and major severe storm episodes when it was entirely impractical to send the staff away to do briefings to EMs, etc. That was done by phone conference calls mainly by the management at the station. Southern Region HQs also had an entire ROC staff to do briefings to the State and other EMs. Really, NWS staff should be at the station so as to do their main mission--provide warnings (probably should amend that to timely warnings) and forecasts that enable people to protect their lives and property.

    ReplyDelete

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