Kentucky NWS forecast office faced federal staffing cuts before deadly tornadoes hit
Source: USA Today
Updated May 17, 2025, 5:16 p.m. ET
As destructive and deadly tornadoes bared down on Kentucky, National Weather Service officials triaged to provide life-saving forecasts and warnings amid federal staffing cuts. At least 23 people in the state died from powerful tornadoes that ripped through overnight May 16, and Gov. Andy Beshear said the death toll was expected to rise.
Most of the deaths were concentrated in the eastern part of the state, which is served by the weather service's Jackson, Kentucky, forecast office.
The office is one of four forecast offices that no longer has overnight staffing because of a shortage of meteorologists, according to Tom Fahy, legislative director for the weather service employees union. Hundreds have left the agency amid cuts ordered by the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, to slash the cost and size of the federal government.
Fahy said Jackson workers were called in May 16 work the overnight shift to coordinate with emergency management personnel and issue warnings throughout the night. The Jackson office had a full staff that he described as an “all-hands-on-deck” situation due to the extreme storm.
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/05/17/kentucky-national-weather-service-forecast-office-staff-cuts/83693800007/
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