Like many federal agencies, the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are cutting back. It terminated hundreds of probationary employees last week amid a wave of DOGE-related layoffs, which could have a direct impact on New Yorkers.

Brian Tang works as an associate professor at the University at Albany.

“One project that I'm working on is trying to improve hurricane models, trying to predict their track and intensity better," says Tang, an associate professor of atmospheric science. 

He says the school partners with the National Weather Service (NWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, also known as NOAA. 

“NOAA and the National Weather Service provide us with data to educate and train our students," Tang said.

But hundreds of weather forecasters and other NOAA employees were fired last week as President Donald Trump’s administration works to trim back the federal workforce. Tang said the terminations could have a ripple affect. 

“A lot of people don't realize how NOAA impacts their daily lives. The weather forecasting, they look on their weather app every morning to decide, you know, what to wear and what plans to make. All that data comes from NOAA. When you get on an airplane, it's NOAA data that ensures that it's safe to take off and land a plane. Farmers need data to know how to manage and plant crops. Utilities need data for when there is severe weather, to position crews for power outage outages so that you're not without power for days and days" Tang said.

According to the Associated Press, the job cuts equal about 10% of NOAA’s workforce, including meteorologists who do local forecasts in NWS offices across the U.S.

“The idea is that the private sector will pick up some of the slack. But who is going to launch the weather balloons? Who's going to fix the radars when they go down? Who's going to collect the observations and data? That's what NOAA does. And it's a huge public service that is truly a bargain for the American taxpayer. And the private sector is just not going to be able to fill in that gap, at least not easily and not cheaply," Tang said.

A NWS public affairs spokesperson declined to comment on internal personnel and management matters, saying only NOAA remains dedicated to its mission.