National Weather Service Little Rock scales back public outreach amid staffing shortage, maintains core weather alert mi
Jul 11, 2025 / 11:53 PM CDT
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The National Weather Service (NWS) in Little Rock Friday announced temporary cutbacks to several public-facing services due to ongoing staffing shortages and a federal hiring freeze, though officials say the agency remains fully capable of handling hazardous weather events across Arkansas.
Dennis Cavanaugh, warning coordination meteorologist at the Little Rock office, said that while the local NWS team is currently operating with reduced staff, critical weather operations will continue uninterrupted.
“We’re not talking about anything forced. We’re at a reduced staffing profile, and there is a hiring freeze,” Cavanaugh said. “But we do still have enough people to run our 24/7 operations, 365 days a year.”
Among the changes taking effect Sunday, July 13:
Hazardous Weather Outlooks (HWO) and Agricultural Observations (AGO) will be eliminated permanently, as these were reportedly underutilized in favor of more modern data products.
Climate data updates will be reduced to a single midnight processing run, with fewer manual updates throughout the day.
Graphics will now only be produced for significant weather events.
“Area Forecast Discussions” will be issued once daily at 1 a.m., a reduction from multiple updates per day.
Upper-air balloon launches will shift to 1 a.m. and 7 p.m., instead of the previous 7 a.m./7 p.m. schedule, aligning with when staff is present onsite.
While many of these changes aim to preserve limited resources, Cavanaugh acknowledged the impact of halting community engagement efforts.
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https://www.kark.com/news/state-news/national-weather-service-little-rock-scales-back-public-outreach-amid-staffing-shortage-maintains-core-weather-alert-mission/