Commotion in the weather community: How new application question could affect staffing gaps

SOUTH BEND, Ind--The National Weather Service (NWS) is scrambling to hire up to 450 people to restore cuts made by DOGE. Many aspiring and current meteorologists are taking to "X” and other social media platforms, voicing their concerns about how these questions could affect chances of getting hired.

Professor Michael Morgan from the University of Wisconsin- Madison and former NOAA deputy administrator believes that new questions would not necessarily “weaken the applicant pool or allow for the under staffing of offices.” He also expresses that though he wishes the questions were more explicit, they are not overly problematic. “Honesty and integrity and their answers are important,” Morgan says.

The third question, which is how applicants would help the president's executive orders and policy priorities in the role, is causing the most uproar. Some were saying that they would not be applying at all for NWS positions. Others are saying they will simply not answer the questions. 

The application does mention that responses will not be scored, but they encourage candidates to thoughtfully address each question. However, the changes are still leaving people skeptical. Some even fear this could impact staffing shortages through the NWS and other NOAA agencies.

While there are still staffing shortages in many NWS offices across the country, a new initiative is in place to fill the need for more meteorologists. One of those initiatives being the "direct hiring authority."

Morgan explains that this initiative will expedite the hiring process by “removing some of the hurdles” to allow for more swift hiring. With an active hurricane season underway and winter approaching, many offices are working to close staffing gaps, even considering rehiring former employees.

As the prospect of reemployment grows, some concerns remain about delays or slowdowns in the rehiring process, even for those with a strong performance history. However, Professor Michael Morgan says that those with years of experience have a slight edge if they choose to reapply. He explains that while new merit questions on the application will dampen enthusiasm, he still has hope.

“I think they're really great people that are eager to serve the public and want to use the scientific tools and knowledge that they have; they're going to bring it to bear for the Weather Service,” Morgan concludes.

With the hiring process gaining more momentum, the National Weather Service and other environmental agencies are hopeful that the staffing gaps will slowly, but surely, begin to recover.