Florida's NBC6 weatherman John Morales didn't mince words on what the cuts to the National Weather Service and to NOAA done by DOGE that Congress is looking to codify into law with Trump's "one big beautiful bill" are going to mean for the safety of his viewers.
June 4, 2025

Florida's NBC6 weatherman John Morales didn't mince words on what the cuts to the National Weather Service and to NOAA done by DOGE that Congress is looking to codify into law with Trump's "one big beautiful bill" are going to mean for the safety of his viewers.

After showing a clip of him talking about a hurricane path six years ago, Morales discussed the fact that the type of predictions they were making then may no longer be possible thanks to Republicans.

MORALES: As you've grown accustomed to my presentations over my 34 years in south Florida newscasts, confidently, I went on TV and told you, it's going to turn. You don't need to worry. It is going to turn.

And I am here to tell you that I am not sure I can do that this year because of the cuts, the gutting, the sledgehammer attack on science in general — and I could talk about that for a long, long time — and how that is affecting the US leadership in science over many years, and how we are losing that leadership. And this is a multi-generational impact on science in this country. All right.

But specifically, let's talk about the federal government cuts to the National Weather Service and to NOAA. Did you know that the Central and South Florida weather offices are currently basically 20 to 40 percent understaffed?

From Tampa to Key West, including the Miami office, 20 to 40 percent understaffed.

Now, this type of staffing shortage is having effects across the nation because there has been a nearly 20 percent reduction in weather balloon releases, launches that carry those weather radiosondes, and what we are starting to see is that the quality of those forecasts is becoming degraded.

There's also a chance because of some of these cuts that NOAA hurricane hunter aircraft will not be able to fly this year and, with less reconnaissance missions, may be flying blind. And we may not exactly know how strong a hurricane is before it reaches the coastline, like what happened a couple of years ago with Hurricane Otis in Acapulco, Mexico.

So, I was asked to talk about this today. I'm glad I was. I just want you to know that you need to do is call your Representatives and make sure that these cuts are stopped.

Morales has a MAGA give him grief on the Nazi bird site over his commentary. Gotta' love the response.

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