Wisconsin has 0 chief meteorologists at National Weather Service offices

MADISON, Wis (CIVIC MEDIA) – While the National Weather Service (NWS) is facing severe staffing shortages, none of its Wisconsin offices has a chief meteorologist in charge. 

Earlier this year, Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency cut or offered and approved early retirement for about 550 employees of the National Weather Service. 

The NWS collects weather data, builds forecasts, issues warnings in severe weather, and surveys damage after storms. 

According to reporting from CNN, 30 National Weather Service offices across the nation are without a chief meteorologist in charge. That includes all three NWS offices in Wisconsin. 

Wisconsin is covered by five NWS posts total. Green Bay, La Crosse, and Sullivan/Milwaukee are based here in the state. None of those three posts currently have a chief meteorologist in charge. Northwestern Wisconsin is covered by offices in Minneapolis and Duluth. 

The Green Bay office had been launching weather balloons twice a day for about 80 years. Those balloons collect data that help create more accurate forecasts. Because of cuts from the Trump administration, the Green Bay post had to cut half their launches and only do one per day. 

Now, according to multiple reports from multiple outlets, the National Weather Service is about to hire about 125 new meteorologists and specialists. 

It’s the start of hurricane season, which is expected to be more active than normal.  

Here at home, it’s severe weather season: we’ve already had 22 tornadoes hit Wisconsin in 2025. On average, we usually get 23 per year.