Texas, National Weather Service and floods
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Experts said warnings issued in the run-up to this weekend’s flooding were as timely and accurate as possible, but questions about whether the alerts reached people most at risk remain.
Numerous scattered showers and storms will continue in the area through Sunday, with pockets of heavy rain and an increase in the risk for flash flooding.
DOGE cut hundreds of jobs at the NWS, but experts who spoke to WIRED say the agency accurately predicted the state's weekend flood risk.
Some experts say staff shortages might have complicated forecasters’ ability to coordinate responses with local emergency management officials.
"A lot of the weather forecast offices now are not operating at full complement of staff," said the former lead of NOAA.
After the catastrophic flash flooding in central Texas on July 4, 2025, users online claimed that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration was ultimately to blame for the flood's 100 deaths due to staffing cuts at the National Weather Service.
As searchers continue to look for victims in the deadly flash flooding in Texas, officials are answering questions about the weather forecasts ahead of and during the storm.
As early as Wednesday, Texas officials were marshalling the state's emergency response resources to prepare for the coming storm. By Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service's Austin/San ...