As deadly tornadoes tore through Kentucky, National Weather Service (NWS) teams scrambled to issue critical warnings—despite recent federal staffing cuts that had reduced overnight operations.

At least 23 people were killed during the powerful storm outbreak overnight on May 16. Governor Andy Beshear has warned that the death toll may continue to rise.

Most of the fatalities occurred in eastern Kentucky, an area served by the Jackson NWS forecast office. That office had recently lost its overnight staffing due to a shortage of meteorologists, according to Tom Fahy, legislative director for the NWS employees’ union.

Hundreds of meteorologists have left the agency in recent years following cuts enacted by the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, now led by Elon Musk, which aimed to significantly shrink the size and cost of the federal government.

Despite those cuts, Fahy said the Jackson office called in its meteorologists for the overnight shift on May 16 to issue tornado warnings and coordinate with emergency management agencies. He described it as an “all-hands-on-deck” situation.

“The deaths were not attributable to the staffing cuts,” Fahy emphasized. “Everybody was there last night. We had a full team.”

In a statement, the NWS confirmed that the Jackson office had extra personnel and received support from neighboring forecast offices throughout the weekend.

As USA TODAY reported before the outbreak, the NWS has struggled to maintain full around-the-clock staffing for the first time in decades. The union says the agency has been scrambling to fill vital overnight shifts as retirements and attrition take their toll.

Between 2010 and 2025, roughly 600 employees left the NWS through retirement or other departures. Nearly 600 more exited during the first three months of the Trump administration—100 of whom were fired, according to union figures.

Jackson is one of four forecast offices currently without dedicated overnight staff. The others are in Sacramento and Hanford, California, and Goodland, Kansas—an area where severe thunderstorms were forecast for the evening of May 18. Two more offices, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Marquette, Michigan, will lose overnight staffing starting May 18. Fairbanks, Alaska, is scheduled to follow on June 1. Pendleton, Oregon, is also on the list, though no date has been announced.

In an email, NWS spokesperson Erica Cei confirmed that offices without overnight staff will receive support from neighboring forecast centers when severe weather threatens.

Still, Fahy expressed concern over the growing number of unfilled roles. According to the union, about 52 of the 122 forecast offices nationwide have staffing shortages exceeding 20%.

“Communities across the country will be put in harm’s way, in the path of oncoming or direct storms,” Fahy warned.

This article has been carefully fact-checked by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and eliminate any misleading information. We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity in our content.