Rep. Gillen Presses NOAA Administrator on the Dangerous Shortage of Aviation Meteorologists and Protecting Beachgoers from Rip Currents on Long Island

WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Laura Gillen (NY-04) questioned Dr. Neil Jacobs, Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), during a House Science, Space, and Technology Committee hearing on two urgent issues: a critical shortage of aviation meteorologists within the National Weather Service (NWS) that poses a threat to national airspace safety and the termination of the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), a program that helps protect beachgoers from dangerous rip currents.

During the hearing, Administrator Jacobs acknowledged the insufficient staffing levels at the 21 Center Weather Service Units, located within Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Air Route Traffic Control Centers. These units play a critical role in providing specialized forecasts and advisories on thunderstorms, turbulence, icing, and precipitation that impact the National Airspace System. Jacobs noted that NOAA is actively working to address the shortage and committed to working with Rep. Gillen to restore appropriate staffing levels.

Rep. Gillen also pressed Jacobs on how NOAA plans to keep beachgoers safe from rip currents ahead of the upcoming season. He outlined efforts to deploy advanced technologies to detect rip currents in real time. Jacobs emphasized that increased public education, particularly for tourists visiting coastal communities, remains a key component of improving safety.

Rep. Gillen previously introduced the bipartisan Aviation Weather Safety Improvement Act to require the NWS, the FAA, and the relevant employee organizations to work together to ensure these key safety positions are filled. This legislation would ensure that the Center Weather Service units have adequate staffing so they can monitor rapidly changing weather and provide real-time guidance for flights.

On pressing Administrator Jacobs about the shortage of aviation meteorologists:

Rep. Gillen: "Dr. Jacobs, you oversee the NWS. Here is a map of some of the staffing levels at the 21 Center Weather Service Units. Are the shortages shown here on this acceptable to you?"

Administrator Jacobs: "So the AMDR ACARS program is hugely important. And what I can tell you is we're rapidly hiring forecasters. So I mentioned this earlier. We just got authorized to hire 450 forecasters. We're about halfway through that process now. So we've made final job offers to 206 positions. We have 204 more hired and on board. I would also like to say that a lot of this forecast support for the FAA is funded by the FAA. So this doesn't come out of our budget."

On questioning how NOAA plans to protect beachgoers from rip currents:

Rep. Gillen: "NOAA Integrated Ocean Observing System works in coordination with the National Weather Service and our local emergency management officials to protect our beachgoers from rip currents. I don't understand why the fiscal year 2027 budget request calls for the termination of this program. And so, Doctor Jacobs, with the beach season coming up on Long Island, how does NOAA plan to support our local emergency managers to keep beachgoers and swimmers safe if this program is eliminated?"

Administrator Jacobs: "There's a couple of different ways we're approaching this. One is higher resolution ocean and coastal models, which tell us the direction of swell towards the beach. So we could have sideshore currents, we could have rip currents. The other thing that we're looking at is actually working with some industry partners that have beach video cameras and using artificial intelligence to actually identify on camera when the rip currents form. And then in addition to that, just getting the message out to people on how to save yourself from a rip current."

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