They have declared climate change to be fake -- just a lib conspiracy. So for them -- with all their money -- they are just going to ignore this. Let the ordinary people scream about how FEMA is failing them.

Elite Republicans have their Tax Cuts for the Wealthy, so this climate catastrophe just isn't news in their well-feathered sphere of life.

We're getting ready here in South Carolina. We'll see how well the system handles it.

South Carolina used to buffer for us until Helene changed that dynamic.

Forecast accuracy is noticeably less accurate than previously, most likely due to cuts in data gathering. I expect tRump to privatize our formerly outstanding National Weather Service.

NOAA flights that gathered data from storm systems?

I hope a big one hits maralago head-on while he's on the golf course.

since it hints at inefficiency at the Dump administration.

Idiot is fucking us and laughing.

Has Oz deemed it to be true? What sayeth the high priests?
Quickly gather your daughters to be given to the great Oz so he may decide who the privileged few are to be prepared for sacrifice in which ever way he so chooses.
I've heard the Republican tribe are most eager to give dear leader whatever he may ask.

Has to be all that "WOKE" stuff. Isn't It?

All Trump has to do is tell the coasties to just ignore it like they did covid and it will all go away.

https://archive.ph/OXhW1

some local forecasting offices lost the ability to operate 24/7, cut back on launching weather balloons or staggered shifts ahead of extreme weather. ...

The situation in one eastern U.S. office is typical, said an employee there, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of losing his job. His office is down nearly half a dozen meteorologists and has been for months, he said, meaning everyone has had to work a lot harder, for longer, to ensure forecasting remains uninterrupted. To reduce the burden on remaining employees, the office switched to requiring only one staffer on each overnight shift, instead of two.

Even so, everyone must take midnight shifts far more often than they used to, the employee said. Staff must also coordinate their vacations so they don’t overlap. And any sudden illness probably means someone has to work a surprise double shift, because “there’s no wiggle room anymore,” the employee said. “People are burning out,” the employee said. “Just in conversations, you can tell everyone is starting to get a little frayed.”

Many offices have ceased launching weather balloons, a vital tool for forecasting, to save time and personnel. And across the country, current and former Weather Service staff said, offices are forgoing their normal outreach and training initiatives for local residents to prioritize the forecast above all else. ((and why that matters, e.g. “education is not reaching emergency managers who will need to coordinate with the NWS to, for example, evacuate people,” -progree))

. . . Bound by a web of rules and laws, federal hiring is often slow, he said. And it’s an open question how many people will want to apply — government work may seem like a bad option, since Trump has stripped away the guaranteed job stability that once made up for the lower pay. Moreover, the Weather Service is in the midst of significant change, as the Trump administration aims to eliminate funding for anything tied to climate change.

On top of that, Masters said, Weather Service job applications are slated to include questions about what potential forecasters would do to further Trump’s policy goals. This change is part of Trump’s broader overhaul of government hiring, meant to transform the nonpartisan, merit-based workforce into one that rewards loyalty to the president.

I wish every poster did this ... but I guess the ones who have a subscription don't realize how annoying this is for the rest of us.

Last edited Sat Sep 27, 2025, 07:52 PM - Edit history (1)

One very very prolific poster of OP's in LBN told me that he used to include an archive link, but got so much static about it that he stopped doing it (generic he, I just can't get the hang of using "they" as a singular pronoun, unless it's the person's preferred pronoun, in which case I'm 100% on board with that).

Another annoying thing - people who post gift links, the Washington Post being an example, and while I appreciate the thought, what they often don't know is that people have to establish a free account with the WaPo in order to read the gift-linked article. And the first thing it asks in the registration process is, gimme your email. Do I really want Bezos and whoever else he sells it to spamming me?

I might be able to get two paragraphs if I’m lucky. This is on iPhone with Safari browser, both up to date.

Most public libraries subscribe. Folks can use their library cards to read it.

Thanks, and good afternoon.

and going to the library's website and figuring it all out. Maybe I've got a library card around somewhere and maybe it's still valid.

Thanks for the reminder.

Searching archive.ph with the URL is easier, so I haven't been incentivized to go back to the library website era.

...that a recipient of a "Gifted Link" has to register to read it.

Perhaps I will stop sending out Gifted Links.

https://russblib.blogspot.com

of gift links to WaPo articles around here, and it's probably just a mental tic on my part to resist registering. A lot of people with Amazon accounts figure Bezos already have their phone number (and yes I have an Amazon account). I reason a WaPo registration may open up some additional marketing channels. But mostly it's a mental tic on my part.

As for New York TImes, I don't recall trying out a gift link, so I don't know what happens.

It's about the bullshit in Portland. Caution: I have not read it yet myself.

Shared, unlocked article

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/27/us/politics/trump-portland-troops.html?unlocked_article_code=1.pU8.xTbx.T08hmYzls0aQ&smid=url-share

"You have access to this article thanks to someone you know. Keep exploring The Times with a free account."

and there is a "Log in or create an account", and a link "Maybe later".

That panel has a "Collapse v" link at the upper right, and yes, it gets rid of the panel.

Out of curiosity, I clicked on "Log in or create an account"
and it asked for an email, but it looks like I can also, alternatively "continue with Google" or "continue with Apple"

Thom Hartmann lives in Portland, it will be interesting to hear what he has to say about it.

Why am I not surprised that federal weather-monitoring still appears to be in clusterfuck status?

https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/gtwo.php?basin=atlc&fdays=7

https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at4+shtml/271150.shtml?mltoa34#contents

5 day forecast from NOAA.gov has gotten worse. They use to be very reliable about predicting rain. But not anymore. We get thunder storms when they predict none and we don't get storms when they predict them.

People around here have turned to the Farmer's almanac. Which is what we use to use about 25 years ago, along with other predictors.

As for 25 years ago, seasonal climate in general was more predictable, and so the Farmer's Almanac still useful. If you think it still is today, given the climate change's seasonal intensity and their increasing cascading effects, then fine, whatever works, right?

As for hurricane regions, the forecasts remain dependably solid since NOAA was established.
NOAA is used by the National Weather Service, which privately sells NOAA data to communications networks. Rain prediction is hardest anywhere because of changing atmospheric dynamics. No forecast can be any better than chance beyond ten days. Worst to predict are local forecasts since locally scattered showers scatter where they will.

Access to good climate/weather information has political ramifications, too.
Adapting to the reality of planet's dynamics is what meteorologists do to help humans decide what to do to survive and thrive. Climate crises without meteorological help have already cause an uptick in human migrations.
Without access to good information, the poor and vulnerable will continue to suffer from both climate and the politics of climate denial.

What if its all part of a plan to clear the coasts of people so trump can build more resorts there? Its happening in Gaza.

Go ahead--tell me I'm delusional and paranoid.

???

Even then, it will be Biden's fault.

This will be interesting to see what happens next.