Congressman Flood Applauds White House Decision to Staff Up National Weather Service in Nebraska

VALLEY, NEBRASKA - Today, Rep. Mike Flood visited the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Valley, Nebraska to celebrate a decision by the Trump administration to put additional resources there, allowing weather balloons to return to the skies. Previously, the NWS office had ceased daily weather balloon flights, which are critical to compiling weather forecasts in Nebraska and beyond.

"For many years, the National Weather Service has provided regular weather forecasts across the country. After learning about staffing challenges in the Omaha area last month, I took my concerns to the White House. The administration listened, and I'm pleased to say that weather balloons are back up in the air and staffing challenges are being immediately addressed. Thank you to President Trump, the National Weather Service, and everyone who stepped up to address these concerns quickly. The data gathered from the Omaha-area weather balloons will help keep area meteorologists develop better forecasts and keep our communities safe."

Over the past few weeks, Rep. Flood took a variety of actions contributing to the return of the weather balloons, including visiting with the White House. Rep. Flood's initial statement on this issue can be found here.