The National Weather Service (NWS) Boulder announced on February 27 that its electronics technicians are currently working to improve communications at the Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) in Leadville. The NWS Boulder X post explains that there are 900 total ASOS sites across the country that provide “round-the-clock observations.” Most of the ASOS observing sites are located at airports, including the Leadville station, which is at the Lake County Airport.
The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) website states that “ASOS serves as the U.S.’s primary surface weather observing network and supports forecast activities, aviation operations, and the needs of the meteorological, hydrological, and climatological research communities.”
The stations provide and track observational data from each of the 900 stations for every minute of the day. Each station has sensors that track “wind speed and direction, dew point, air temperature, and station pressure.”
The U.S. Department of Commerce oversees the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which oversees the National Weather Service (NWS) and other sub agencies related to weather data collection.
375 federal probationary employees for the NOAA were terminated on Thursday as part of efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to reduce federal spending and increase efficiency. The Associated Press reported that Craig McLean, a former NOAA chief scientist, said about 10 percent of the NOAA workforce is expected to be cut.
McLean said he received the intel about the cuts from someone who has “first-hand knowledge.” If the information stated by McLean is true, there could be a total of 1,300 employees cut from the NOAA when the layoffs are completed.
Climate Scientist Dr. Daniel Swain, who resides in Boulder, released a statement about the mass-layoffs. “There will be people who die in extreme weather events and weather-related disasters who would not have otherwise,” Swain wrote. “The American economy would also suffer. The now-confirmed and rumored additional cuts to come at NOAA/NWS are spectacularly short-sighted and ultimately will deal a major self-inflicted wound to the public safety of Americans and the resiliency of the American economy to weather and climate-related disasters.”
