RUSKIN, Fla. — At Tampa Bay’s National Weather Service office in Ruskin, the job never stops.
Even on days that see no threat of severe weather, Matt Anderson and his team remain hard at work.
“Someone’s always here,” said Anderson, the Acting Meteorologist-in-Charge of the Tampa Bay office. “Christmas morning. 4 a.m. Someone’s going to be here.”
WATCH: Despite nationwide concerns, National Weather Service Tampa Bay says it remains storm-ready
As the region heads into the peak of hurricane season, Anderson says this office is ready.
“You’re never going to meet a group of more passionate folks,” he said.
The office is currently short six people. However, Anderson said staffing levels are strong enough to maintain the mission: saving lives and protecting property.
“That is our mission here, so that’s what we’re here doing, and that’s what we’re passionate about,” he said.
During a recent tour of the National Weather Service (NWS) Tampa Bay, ABC Action News observed a large team of meteorologists, including Paul Close, who has a wealth of knowledge and experience.
“I’ve been doing it for 34 years,” he said. “I really enjoy it.”
He’s not alone. NWS Tampa Bay has several employees who have served the Tampa Bay office for more than 20 years.
ABC Action News met meteorologists handling radars and forecasts, compiling data, and even updating social media.
“We try to communicate as best we can,” said Stephen Shively, a meteorologist with NWS Tampa Bay.
The team of meteorologists continues to release two weather balloons a day to collect essential meteorological data.
The team knows the region. It knows the risks. And it knows what’s at stake after recent storms like Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
“The forecast can be perfect, but if we don’t give folks actionable information — if we don’t get that message out there — then it’s kind of a waste of a forecast, you know,” said Anderson.
Brian LaMarre, the meteorologist who used to run the NWS Tampa Bay office, also believes the region is in good hands.
“They’re producing the life-saving warnings 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,” LaMarre said. “The Tampa National Weather Service — they are staffed sufficiently to meet the mission.”
LaMarre, however, says the bigger picture is more troubling.
“This is the first time in over 30 years of my career that I have ever seen one office, let alone eight offices, that did not have the staffing to support 24/7 operations,” he said.
According to LaMarre, across the nation, more than 600 NWS employees either retired early or were laid off earlier this year. That left some offices critically short-staffed and some communities vulnerable.
“The data that the National Weather Service provides is used by all media stations, emergency managers, the public,” said LaMarre, who retired from the NWS in April to start a weather consulting business.
Now, weather and climate research is also at risk.
The White House has proposed cutting $1.1 billion from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) budget. The cut includes millions for research.
“The value of research is critical to future progress in meteorology,” LaMarre said. “The latest advancements in hurricane modeling comes from research in the research side of NOAA. And also some of the advancement in lead time for tornado warning prediction.”
Both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate have pushed back on the size of the cut to NOAA, but a final appropriations bill has not yet been passed.
LaMarre compares the current state of NOAA and the NWS to a puzzle. Right now, even with a few pieces missing, the picture’s still visible.
“But how long are you going to be able to see it if another piece falls out, someone retires?” he asked.
Keeping the puzzle picture clear and visible may depend on what happens next in Washington.
The NWS has been exempted from a hiring freeze, which means the service can start filling empty positions.
Corporation for Public Broadcasting shutdown will impact Tampa's PBS and NPR stations
From Mr. Rogers to Sesame Street. From Downton Abbey to the documentaries of filmmaker Ken Burns. They’re shows so many Americans love and grew up on, and they were broadcast on local PBS stations thanks to funding from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting.
