By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
A hiring freeze that resulted in shortened hours at the National Weather Service office in Goodland has been lifted.
The Goodland office covers the tri-state area, including northwest Kansas, southwest Nebraska and northeast Colorado. The weather service office in Dodge City covers Hays.
As employees retired or left for other jobs, the Goodland National Weather Service office had to cease night-time forecasting in May due to staffing shortages.
While the Goodland National Weather Service works to fill these vacancies, the office will be temporarily staffed by a rotation of weather service employees from other offices, returning to 24/7 operations on Sunday.
Jesse Lundquist, warning coordinator meteorologist in Goodland, said Wednesday he was very grateful to the temporary staff who have come from across the country to serve up to two weeks in western Kansas, many of whom are spending time away from their families.
Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, fought to protect Goodland from federal cuts.
Moran recently visited the Goodland National Weather Service office, where he announced a national exemption from the federal hiring freeze to enable the weather service to hire meteorologists and weather forecasters.
Earlier this month, Moran introduced legislation with Sen. Gary Peters, D-Michigan, to exempt National Weather Service meteorologists from any executive order or memorandum imposing a hiring freeze.
During a recent Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies hearing, Moran questioned Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on the importance of the National Weather Service and making certain safety-critical National Weather Service meteorologists and hydrologists remain protected from federal hiring freezes, according to an email from Moran's office on Thursday.
"Staffing National Weather Service offices, particularly in rural parts of the country, is a constant challenge, and recent staffing shortages have led to some offices, including in Kansas, being unable to provide 24/7 weather forecasting," Moran said in an email to the Hays Post.
"The meteorologists, hydrologists, and technicians maintaining critical equipment at Weather Forecasting Offices are instrumental in keeping our communities safe, particularly as our state continues to face tornado season," Moran said. "I secured a national exemption to allow the National Weather Service to hire meteorologists and weather forecasters and fill the vacancies at the Goodland National Weather Service office."
With the addition of the temporary staff, Lundquist said he thought the Goodland office is fully prepared to provide daily forecasts and respond to severe weather.
He said the office is still waiting to be cleared to advertise for the vacated positions and to learn what the long-term effects on the office's budget might be under the Trump administration.