By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
GOODLAND—The National Weather Service will no longer staff its Goodland office 24/7.
The change is part of cuts announced nationwide in the National Weather Service.
The Goodland office covers the tri-state area, including northwest Kansas, southwest Nebraska and northeast Colorado.
The National Weather Service office in Dodge City covers Hays.
The Hays Post asked the National Weather Service if any other Kansas regional offices would be affected by cuts. However, that question was not answered.
The National Weather Service public affairs office issued only the statement below:
The National Weather Service is adjusting some services due to temporary staffing changes at our local forecast offices throughout the country in order to best meet the needs of the public, our partners and stakeholders in each office’s local area. These adjustments are also temporary, and we will continue to fulfill our core mission of providing life-saving forecasts, warnings, and decision support services.
Jesse Lundquist, warning coordinator meteorologist in Goodland, said he was limited in what questions he could answer.
However, he said the following services will continue to be offered through the Goodland office:
• Weather warnings
• Weather support for local emergency managers
• Deployment to help local emergency managers in the field during emergencies. For example, weather service staff could be deployed to work with emergency managers face-to-face during a wildfire.
You can access the National Weather Service, Goodland, through its webpage and follow it on Facebook.