Balloon launches return to Omaha NWS Office following national policy change

Weather balloon launches at National Weather Service offices near Omaha, North Platte and Rapid City, South Dakota were scaled back or stopped entirely last month due to low staffing levels. Meteorologists said that without the weather balloons, forecasting becomes less accurate.

The Omaha office has been down five of its 13 forecast for the past three years. In January, the Trump Administration offered early retirement to all federal employees. More than 550 National Weather Service workers across the country took the buyout.

At a media event Friday, Congressman Mike Flood said he heard about the issue from constituents and met with White House officials about the problem. He said the administration is ending the hiring freeze at NWS offices and providing temporary assignments in Omaha and other locations across the Midwest.

“We've changed the policy across the country, and these temporary duty assignments are available for our forecasters to go to all the other understaffed weather stations, places like North Platte," he said.

Flood said he also intends to introduce a bill classifying National Weather Service employees as necessary for public safety to avoid including them in future hiring freezes and buyouts.