What Happened to the National Weather Service During the Shutdown?

KENT, Ohio – When the federal government shut down earlier this year, thousands of federal employees across the country were sent home or ordered to work without pay. Yet one essential service continued without interruption. Meteorologists at the National Weather Service reported to work every day in order to track storms, issue warnings, and monitor dangerous conditions, even though their paychecks had stopped. In northeastern Ohio, the Cleveland Forecast Office stayed fully operational throughout the shutdown. Although the region experienced few weather hazards during that time, emergency officials say the situation exposed vulnerabilities that could become far more serious during an active weather season.

The National Weather Service is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration within the Department of Commerce. Because the agency is classified as essential, its employees are required to report to work during a federal shutdown. Essential classification reflects the critical nature of their responsibilities, which include storm tracking, issuing tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings, operating marine advisory systems, and maintaining communication with emergency agencies. Although the agency kept functioning, the shutdown limited what services could continue. Outreach programs, public trainings, school education visits, and tours of local forecast offices were suspended until government funding returned. The agency also restricted staff interviews during the shutdown, which meant the public received little information about how operations were being maintained behind the scenes.

In northeastern Ohio, the Cleveland Forecast Office is responsible for monitoring weather conditions across 28 counties in northern Ohio and parts of northwest Pennsylvania. The office relies on a continuous flow of atmospheric data and communication with surrounding weather offices and regional emergency management officials. Despite the government shutdown, most of these functions remained intact. Forecasts continued, radar systems were monitored, and Lake Erie marine advisories were issued as usual. The relatively calm weather pattern over the region during the shutdown helped reduce strain on forecasting staff. However, the smooth operation in northern Ohio did not fully reflect what was happening across the rest of the country.

To understand the local impacts of the shutdown, WFMJ-TV Youngstown meteorologist Eric Wilhelm described how his newsroom navigated the situation. According to Wilhelm, daily forecasting was mostly unaffected. He said that most of the data they rely on was still available. Some forecasting websites were only partially updated or not updating correctly, but the core information remained usable. “We did not have too many noticeable changes during the shutdown. Most of the data sources that are out there for us to use were still pretty operational,” Wilhelm said. He added that the most reliable datasets, including radar and satellite imagery, remained accessible.

Despite this, Wilhelm did point to disruptions elsewhere in the national network. He said that in some regions, weather balloons were only being launched once per day or were not launched at all. Weather balloons collect temperature, moisture, wind, and pressure information from the upper atmosphere, and that data is crucial for predicting storm development. Missing balloon data can weaken forecast accuracy, particularly during volatile weather patterns. Wilhelm said that balloon disruptions did not affect the Cleveland region but noted that the national forecasting system relies on uniform data collection. When one part of the system experiences interruptions, the effects can ripple across the country.

Local emergency management agencies depend on uninterrupted communication and accurate weather information from the Cleveland office. In Summit County, Emergency Management Agency Director Thomas Smoot emphasized how important that relationship is. In an email statement, Smoot said that the Cleveland National Weather Service office plays a central role in the county’s emergency planning and response efforts. “The Cleveland National Weather Service is essential to our emergency planning and operations. Their forecasts, alerts, and expertise help us prepare for and respond to severe weather in Summit County and throughout the region,” he wrote. He added that although no major storms occurred during the shutdown, emergency officials monitored the situation closely because any disruption in forecasting capabilities could pose significant risks to public safety.

Wilhelm noted that the country was fortunate that the shutdown occurred during a period of relatively calm weather. Winter storms were less intense than usual, and the lack of widespread severe weather reduced the strain on the National Weather Service. “The country was lucky during this episode. It was a long shutdown, and the weather, for the most part, behaved,” Wilhelm said. He added that the outcome could have been much different if the shutdown had occurred in the spring or summer, which are peak seasons for severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and heavy rainfall events. “If this shutdown were to occur during severe weather season, the story could be a lot different,” he said. Reduced staffing and missing data could lead to slower warnings, less accurate forecasts, or delayed communication with local emergency agencies.

The shutdown also highlighted challenges within the National Weather Service that existed before funding lapsed. Staffing shortages have been an ongoing concern across many forecast offices in the United States. Wilhelm said that the only long-term solution he sees is increased hiring. “It is hard to think of many solutions other than adding staff. The National Weather Service should be aggressive in hiring and making sure all the local offices are staffed,” he said. Some offices around the country have experienced extended vacancies, which creates stress on existing employees and makes operations more difficult during government shutdowns or major weather events.

Although the government has reopened, the funding measure that ended the shutdown only lasts through January 30, 2026. That means another shutdown remains possible, and meteorologists could once again be required to work without pay for an unknown period of time. For essential federal workers, including forecasters, technicians, and emergency communication specialists, this reality continues to create uncertainty. Even if core operations remain intact during a future shutdown, the lack of pay and staffing strain could weaken the weather forecasting system if severe weather occurs.

The shutdown revealed how heavily local communities depend on the National Weather Service, often without realizing it. Forecasts continued, alerts were issued, and emergency managers still received the information they needed, but only because essential meteorologists reported to work even while unpaid. The calm weather period kept the strain from becoming visible. If another shutdown occurs and if it coincides with severe storms, lake effect snow, or spring tornado activity in Ohio, the effects could be far more disruptive. Officials and meteorologists agree that stable funding and stronger staffing are necessary to protect the reliability of one of the country’s most important public safety systems. Without those assurances, the next shutdown might test the limits of an already stretched forecasting network in ways this one never had to.