LAKELAND, Fla. — They survived dangerous flights through hurricanes but didn’t survive DOGE cuts and now an ex-NOAA Hurricane Hunter slams the layoffs as “making no sense whatsoever.”

Concerns continue to rise in Florida after more than 800 forecasters, scientists and other federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employees were laid off last week, amid sweeping federal cuts spearheaded by Elon Musk’s DOGE effort.

Among the laid off probationary employees in Florida were a group of hurricane researchers, two hurricane hunter flight directors and an engineer.

“They were already understaffed,” says Dr. Jeff Masters, a meteorologist and former NOAA Hurricane Hunter in the late 1980s.  Adding the crew now has the bare minimum of flight directors needed to conduct crucial flights during peak hurricane season.

“If we have more departures, or if somebody gets sick you cannot fly those planes, 24/7, and you endanger the public safety because you’re not going to have as good of hurricane forecasts,” Masters told 10 Tampa Bay. 

Last Fall as Hurricanes Helene and Milton were barreling toward the Gulf Coast, those same hurricane hunters were flying dozens of missions right through them, collecting crucial data around the clock to keep people informed and prepared. 

“Some of the best forecasts we had were made by the specific cutting edge computer models that use the data from the NOAA Hurricane Hunters,” noted Masters, who says will Air Force crews also conduct flights through storms, NOAA’s crew are the only ones that all carry Doppler radar.

“The Air Force does not have this data, so we are cutting off our cutting-edge sort of capability to make the best possible hurricane forecast,” Masters explained. 

Ahead of hurricane season, the cuts are also impacting hurricane research. 10 Tampa Bay talked with Meteorologist Andy Hazelton, PhD. via Zoom on Friday. Hazelton was working out of the National Hurricane Center in South Florida when he got a “very shocking” and “impersonal” email.

“Probationary just means you’re a new federal employee. But I’ve been with NOAA working on these things for eight, nine years now,” he explained.

For the last several months, Hazelton has been working on and testing new hurricane forecast models up-to-speed ahead of hurricane season. Staff at the NHC provide crucial forecasts and data that meteorologists, airlines and others across the country rely on.

“Testing new versions of the model, trying to get it ready so that when the season comes, we have the state-of-the-art, new version ready to go,” he added. “We can use these models to make their forecasts, make things more accurate, let people get out of harm’s way.”

“This is incredibly damaging and particularly risky,” said Congresswoman Kathy Castor (D-Tampa) in an interview with 10 Tampa Bay last week.

This week Castor and all of Florida’s congressional Democrats signed onto a letter to OMB Director Russ Vought, asking him to reconsider the NOAA staff reduction:

“These cuts, particularly those affecting meteorologists and weather forecasters, pose an immediate and severe threat to hurricane preparedness and response in Florida and across the nation,” reads the letter.

“Last year, NOAA achieved record accuracy in hurricane tracking, which enabled emergency responders and residents to take appropriate precautions, saving lives and mitigating economic losses. The reduction of approximately 10% of NOAA’s workforce, including critical forecasters, raises serious concerns about the agency’s ability to provide reliable forecasts, particularly as we head into another hurricane season.”

We urge you to reconsider these reductions and ensure that NOAA and the National Weather Service maintain the staffing and resources necessary to fulfill their vital mission.”

NOAA is not commenting on the cuts directly, citing a longstanding policy regarding personnel matters.

Masters worries about what it means for the agency’s future. 

“The whole future of NOAA is pretty grim because morale is poor,” Masters said. “There’s going to be a long-term brain drain. A lot of talented and intelligent people are going to leave the field.”

“We’re really going in the wrong direction.”