Hysterical weather reporting from the NOAA

I'm not sure it will work though, since I normally get to the updated reports by goinghere first.

NOAA self-immolates...

The situation at the National Weather Service (NWS) is continuing to heat up amid a move from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) plan to rename the agency and accusations from multiple officials at the hurricane center that NOAA is wasting millions of dollars while depriving vital research and operations. Against the backdrop of building controversy over the rebranding proposal, today NOAA announced the resignation of two top NWS employees.

...

After the success and publicity that the hurricane center and weather service gathered following Katrina in 2005, NOAA executives ordered the hurricane center to remove all NWS logos on their products and replace them with NOAA logos. Then director of the hurricane center, Max Mayfield, refused to do so amidst controversy within the government. After a House appropriations subcommittee chair contacted the Department of Commerce, NOAA's parent agency, the proposal was withdrawn. The committee stated that "these changes are unnecessary and that renaming could lead to confusion among users of long standing programs and services with substantial name recognition."

And much like the rest of the government, NOAA goes bug-fuck crazy

NOAA confirms cut in Hurricane Hunter funding

Over the past week public comments from the new director of the National Hurricane Center criticizing plans to rename his center and accusing his parent agency of wasting millions of dollars on a public relations campaign while cutting vital research funding, were followed by the unexpected departure of two top weather service officials. Now following these public accusations and earlier reports that the new budget contains no money for research flights, NOAA has confirmed that it is cutting funding to the famous 'Hurricane Hunters' based in Tampa, FL.

From the St. Petersbug Times:

Federal officials plan to significantly reduce the number of "hurricane hunter" flights from Tampa's MacDill Air Force base this year, even though predictions call for a busy hurricane season. Crews will fly fewer hours because some of their missions can be combined for efficiency, said Philip Kenul of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

For example, some reconnaissance flights in which pilots aim directly into the eye of a storm can be combined with other flights aimed at research purposes. That way, the crews can accomplish two goals with one flight, he said.

Safety will not be compromised, Kenul said.

"We're just trying to be a little bit smarter about the way we spend federal dollars, " he said.

But Kenul's comments came only days after the new director of the National Hurricane Center, Bill Proenza, criticized the NOAA for failing to put enough money into research programs and equipment.

Dan Sobien, president of the National Weather Service Employees Organization, said Friday he would like to know more about the reduction in hours.

i knew something was up when the weekly ENSO forecast went missing

good thing we put an mba president in charge.

I hate the phrase "weather event" wtf. When did that come into being? It is the most passive piece of corpspeak bullshit.

George Carlin does a joke about that. "A rain event? Shit, where can I get tickets?!"

It's like everything is PR and marketing from the top all the way down to the bottom, nothing but PR marketing.

Carlin would know, he played a weatherman.