Hundreds of weather forecasters and other federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employees on probationary status have been fired, lawmakers and weather experts says.
NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is responsible for monitoring and forecasting weather conditions of behalf of the United States for the safety of the public. On Friday, NOAA had disavowed a tweet from the National Weather Service's Birmingham, Alabama, office contradicting Trump's claim. "I am pursuing the potential violations of our NOAA Administrative Order on Scientific Integrity," acting Chief Scientist Craig McLean wrote in the memo. "My understanding is that this intervention to contradict the forecaster was not based on science but on external factors including reputation and appearance, or simply put, political." "If the public cannot trust our information, or we debase our forecaster's warnings and products, that specific danger arises," McLean wrote.
The move is the latest development in an ongoing controversy surrounding the President's false assertion last week that Hurricane Dorian would hit Alabama. On Friday, NOAA disavowed a tweet from the National Weather Service's Birmingham, Alabama, office that had contradicted Trump's claim. In an internal email obtained by The Washington Post, NOAA Acting Chief Scientist Craig McLean called the response "political" and "a danger to public health and safety." He also said he would investigate if the agency's actions violated the "NOAA Administrative Order on Scientific Integrity." Trump's tweet that Hurricane Dorian would affect Alabama caused confusion last week.
