NWS staffing cuts call into question accuracy of forecasts

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Federal cuts and the lack of staffing at the National Weather Service could affect the accuracy of weather forecasts, especially as it pertains to predictions made several days out.

Forecasts not only help communities prepare for severe weather -- in Newton and other locations around the state, they help farmers decide when to plant their crops.

“I think I speak for most farmers when I say we keep an eye on the weather forecast all the time that helps us with making decision when planting and harvesting and so, weather forecasting is very important,” Harvey County farmer Steven McCloud said.

But with recent federal budget cuts reducing the number weather balloons and short staffing, forecast accuracy has become more challenging. For McCloud, a sixth-generation farmer entering drought season right now is impacting farmers’ crops significantly.

“To be honest, we got an inch and a half of rain a week ago. You can go and look at the soil right now, and you would not find a lot of remanence of that,” McCloud said.

McCloud says the drought is also now affecting his livestock, which feeds from wheat and grass that’s struggling to grow. During this season, he usually watches the weather forecast closely for signs of rain because there’s no irrigation in the area.

“We plant the crops and we prayed for rain and that is what we do. In this area we do not have any irrigation so we are totally relying on rainfall, so we plant and we pray for rain,” he said.

Some wheat crops were planted with months in advance, but a hailstorm could wipe them out in minutes. Without accurate weather forecasts, farmers like McCloud are left with less guidance on how to protect their crops.