Oregon

National Weather Service staff cut 30-40% in Oregon, jeopardizing forecast, warnings

Published

1 year ago

February 28, 2025

Press Room

National Weather Service staff cut 30-40% in Oregon, jeopardizing forecast, warnings

The cuts could lead to slower and less accurate forecast predictions.
Experts warn the cuts could have severe consequences during extreme weather events.

The agency that issues warnings for floods, ice storms and wildfire danger in Oregon is short-staffed by at least 30% to 40% following a series of reductions, hiring freezes and buyouts as part of the Trump administration’s latest effort to shrink federal government.

The National Weather Service is down to roughly 60-70 employees, from a previous high of 100, in offices in Portland, Medford, Pendleton and Boise, Idaho, which forecasts for northeast Oregon.

Those who have lost jobs include meteorologists, hydrologists and technicians that maintain sensitive weather equipment.

The NWS plays a wide-ranging role in Oregon, influencing where wildland firefighters are positioned, when ships cross into the Columbia River and whether school is canceled.

In addition, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, which is based in Portland and measures snowpack and water supply across the Pacific Northwest, saw its staffing slashed 58% this month, from 12 to five employees.

Nationwide, hundreds and maybe thousands of workers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees both agencies, lost their jobs on Thursday, according to multiple reports.

As with other agencies targeted for reduction, including the U.S. Forest Service, the firings specifically affected probationary employees, a categorization that applies to new hires or those moved or promoted into new positions.

National Weather Service cuts ‘really detrimental, and dangerous’

Larry O’Neill, Oregon’s state climatologist who works closely with both agencies, said the cuts will be “really detrimental, and dangerous.”

“This is a critical public service. It plays a huge role in public safety and the economy, and it’s incredibly cheap for the benefit we get,” O’Neill said.

NRCS, which measures mountain snowpack and issues water supply forecasts used for irrigation, reservoir storage and hydropower, saw its staff slashed from 12 to five. The agency may discontinue measuring mountain snowpack by summer 2026.

“We don’t know how important these programs are until they’re gone,” O’Neill said. “There is no replacement for the type of detailed local forecasts they provide. Private industry cannot and won’t replace all the important things they do.”

Per longstanding NOAA practice “we are not discussing internal personnel and management matters,” said agency spokesman Scott Smullen. “NOAA remains dedicated to its mission, providing timely information, research, and resources that serve the American public and ensure our nation’s environmental and economic resilience. We continue to provide weather information, forecasts and warnings pursuant to our public safety mission.”

Loss of speed, accuracy a worry after staff shortages at NWS

The cuts could result in slower and less accurate forecasts, and what is possible for the agency to do, such as staffing major wildland fires and focusing on high-leverage situations, said O’Neill.

NWS produces a detailed forecast of every spot in Oregon, from the top of Mount Hood to the Alvord Desert. It operates weather radars that span the state.

Most notably, it issues warnings for weather that could impact travel or knock out power. It sounds the alarm when the river might flood or wildfire danger turns extreme. State and local government make decisions based on the forecasts.

“With these cuts, I think we’ll see delays or inaccurate forecasts come up, and that can have real world consequences,” O’Neill said. “And it has been done in such a haphazard way that it has removed some senior leadership and kind of left a void at the top with no plans to fill it that gap.”

Eyes in the storm

Last Monday, a powerful storm brought waves 60 feet high to the Columbia River Bar, the notoriously hazardous passageway between the Pacific Ocean and Columbia River. Each year, around 3,000 ships — carrying the world’s largest exports of wheat — make the crossing aided by the Columbia River Bar Pilots.

The bar pilots have long relied on NWS.

“We actually have a direct line to their office to talk to the meteorologists to get the best sense of how large the waves might get and when,” said Capt. Dan Jordan, administrator of the Columbia River Bar Pilots. “We use that information to make decisions about when to stop and restart shipping traffic. Without it, we won’t have the information to make the best decisions. Any disruption can really hurt commerce on the river.”

Meteorologists may be less able to work wildfires

NWS meteorologists regularly leave the office to work with incident command teams during major wildfires.

“I think one of the biggest impacts was that NWS won’t be able to provide meteorologists to work on incident management teams,” O’Neill said. “The bigger wildfires can create their own weather and turn deadly. NWS has trained their meteorologists specially for those roles, but if they’re this short-staffed, the concern is that they could no longer do that.”

The loss of technicians could also mean that when the weather radars go out, which does happen on a semi-regular basis, it will take longer to repair them. The loss of radar for extended periods jeopardizes accurate forecasting.

Loss of measuring snowpack, water supply

The Natural Resources Conservation Service does two key things in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest.

The first is that they maintain the SNOTEL network of roughly 300 weather stations that measure snow-water equivalent in the mountains.

The second is they produce water supply forecasts that feed into reservoir operations and determine irrigation allotments for the vast agriculture in central and eastern Oregon, and to a lesser extent the Willamette Valley.

The agency helps determine drought designations, so that farmers can apply for federal aid when conditions warrant.

O’Neill said that the SNOTEL network, at this point, would be discontinued by next year because it requires technicians to repair it, and most have lost their jobs.

“If we lose this, we’re basically flying blind as to how much water is stored in the snow in the mountains,” O’Neill said. “That impacts how reservoirs are managed and store water, and how they prepare to mitigate floods.

“We just won’t know how much water that we have, and that’s a pretty big problem in a state that depends on agriculture.”

Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 18 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on X at @ZachsORoutdoors and BlueSky at oregonoutdoors.bsky.social.

Source link

Click to comment

Oregon

Oregon women’s basketball playing for March Madness seeding vs. Purdue

Published

4 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Oregon women’s basketball playing for March Madness seeding vs. Purdue

At times, the Oregon women’s basketball team has certainly made things much harder on themselves than it needs to be. The team has also produced some miraculous comeback victories, putting itself in position to make women’s March Madness for the second straight season.

March 1, in their final regular season game, the Ducks (20-11, 8-10 Big Ten) finished on the wrong end of yet another tight game to Washington, 70-69. It’s the second time this season Oregon has come back from a double-digit deficit, but ended up losing to the Huskies (20-9, 10-8).

Those aren’t the only times Oregon has come back from a double-digit deficit, like it did in wins vs. Nebraska and USC. The No. 11-seed Ducks are hoping they won’t need heroics in a Big Ten tournament first-round game against No. 14 Purdue this Wednesday.

Watch Oregon basketball on Peacock

“I think our biggest weakness this year has been our inconsistency,” coach Kelly Graves said, “something we’ve battled all year. The great thing is our kids know, regardless of the score, we’ve got a chance. We’ll make it a game at some point. As a coach, it drives you nuts. Hopefully we can figure it out and play more consistent basketball.”

Oregon’s volatility has seen it earn three double-digit comeback wins this year, but also blow several games in the final moments.

Against Wisconsin, the Ducks held a 6-point lead with less than a minute remaining, but lost in overtime. Against Illinois, Oregon held a 21-point lead at halftime, blew it in the third quarter, trailed by eight with minutes to play and somehow eked out a win.

That makes UO somewhat of a wild card heading into the conference tournament this week at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

“It’s definitely (been) a rollercoaster,” guard Katie Fiso said. “A lot of highs and a lot of lows. But one thing that I try to see through all games is our grittiness and our toughness. One thing that stays consistent throughout the season is our toughness and our grittiness. The game isn’t over until the last bell rings.”

The Ducks will be taking on a Boilermakers (13-16, 5-13) team that has struggled against most of the top competition in the league, but played Oregon tight in a Feb. 25 Ducks win.

Graves said when the Ducks went throughout the postgame handshake line after, the Boilermakers felt like their season would end after the regular season. Thanks to some upsets, Purdue is in the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 14 seed.

“We’re playing a team that probably feels like it’s playing with house money,” Graves said. “We’ve got to pick ourselves back up and get it done.”

What channel is Oregon vs. Purdue on today in Big Ten tournament?

Oregon will tip off vs. Purdue on Peacock, with no TV option to watch the game.

Oregon vs. Purdue start time in Big Ten tournament

Date: Wednesday, March 4
Time: Around 5:30 p.m. PT

Oregon and Purdue will play around 5:30 p.m. PT at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The first game of the day begins at 12:30 p.m. PT, with the next game 25 minutes after the first game ends, and so on. The Ducks play in the third game of the day, so no official tip time is listed.

Oregon women’s basketball schedule 2025-26

Below are the past five games of Oregon’s 2025-26 basketball season. For the full schedule, click here.

Feb. 15	Washington 51, Oregon 43
Feb. 19	Oregon 80, Nebraska 76
Feb. 22	Indiana 72, Oregon 65
Feb. 25	Oregon 71, Purdue 65
March 1	Washington 70, Oregon 69
March 4	Oregon vs. Purdue (Big Ten tournament)

Purdue women’s basketball schedule 2025-26

Below are the past five games of Purdue’s 2025-26 basketball season. For the full schedule, click here.

Feb. 14	Purdue 72, Rutgers 57
Feb. 19	Iowa 83, Purdue 74
Feb. 22	Maryland 99, Purdue 66
Feb. 25	Oregon 71, Purdue 65
March 1	Purdue 67, Northwestern 62
March 4	Oregon vs. Purdue (Big Ten tournament)

Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football and women’s basketball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at adietz@registerguard.com.

Source link

Oregon

Oregon lawmakers advance one-year moratorium on tax breaks for data centers

Published

16 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Oregon lawmakers advance one-year moratorium on tax breaks for data centers

Written by Alma McCarty & KGW:

SALEM, Oregon — In the final week of Oregon’s legislative short session, lawmakers in Salem discussed regulating data centers — specifically, placing a one-year moratorium on certain tax breaks.

Governor Tina Kotek has been looking to expand the state’s enterprise zone program, which is intended to grow Oregon companies and attract new ones. Businesses that locate or expand within designated zones can qualify for property tax exemptions on new investments if they meet eligibility requirements.

However, some advocates argue that extending incentives to data centers may not be sustainable long term.

“Data centers have been around for a while,” said Kelly Campbell, policy director for Columbia Riverkeeper. “Data centers are getting bigger and bigger. Some of these new AI hyperscale data centers are exponentially bigger than those tiny ones. They’re really just using a lot of energy, a lot of water.”

However, some advocates argue that extending incentives to data centers may not be sustainable long term.

Last week, Columbia Riverkeeper released a report examining data centers operating or planned along the Columbia River in Oregon and Washington.

“I think the question becomes, do we want to stick to our climate goals of getting to 100% renewable? Or do we want to have these big, mega data centers owned by big tech companies — some of the wealthiest corporations in the world — getting to use whatever energy they want? We would say, no, that’s not OK,” Campbell said.

On Monday, lawmakers amended an economic incentives bill to block new data centers from qualifying for certain tax breaks for one year.

“I think this moratorium is a pretty short pause to give the advisory council time and space to do their work,” said Rep. Nancy Nathanson, D-Eugene, during a subcommittee meeting Monday morning.

The Data Center Advisory Committee, convened by Kotek, held its first meeting Friday. The group’s goal is to develop policy recommendations addressing the rapid growth of data centers.

“There are some businesses that will need them, but freestanding data centers, the way we’ve been growing in the state, is not sustainable,” the Governor told reporters during a press conference last week.

On Monday, her office sent KGW a statement regarding the moratorium:

“The moratorium will address immediate concerns and also allow for the Governor’s Data Center Advisory Committee to develop recommendations to strategically pursue economic development opportunities while ensuring utility costs, infrastructure investments, and environmental impacts remain sustainable and equitable for all residents.”

Supporters of data center growth, particularly in rural communities, also spoke during work sessions.

“This moratorium will have a disparate impact on communities east of the Cascades — communities like Prineville, Hermiston and Redmond that have leveraged enterprise zones and data centers to bring hundreds of living-wage jobs to their communities,” said Alexandra Ring, a lobbyist for the League of Oregon Cities.

“While data centers may be seen as a nuisance or inconvenient in Washington County, they are not in Crook County. They are not in Morrow County, in Umatilla County,” said Sen. Mark McLane, who represents several Eastern Oregon counties, including Baker, Crook, Grant and Harney.

Even if the House and Senate ultimately approve the moratorium, it would apply only to new data centers — not those that already receive tax breaks or projects currently underway.

Source link

Oregon

Iranian in Oregon says he was a political prisoner in his home country

Published

2 days ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Iranian in Oregon says he was a political prisoner in his home country

PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — A member of Oregon’s Iranian community on Monday reacted to American and Israeli strikes in his home country and the death of Iran’s supreme leader over the weekend.

That reaction came as the conflict in the Middle East expanded into a third day. President Donald Trump indicated it could go on for several weeks.

Amin Yousefimalakabad says right now he is concerned about his family, who he says lives near military bases in Tehran, the capital of Iran.

He described businesses with shattered windows and explosions near his family’s home.

At the same time, Yousefimalakabad says he felt relief learning about the killing of the ayatollah.

He says he fled Iran four years ago after facing political persecution.

“I used to be a political prisoner in Iran. I got arrested in one of the protests that happened in Iran, and I was under torture for two weeks,” he said in an interview with KATU News. “They put me in prison for six months. I had, even when I was thinking about those days, it made my body shake from inside because I didn’t deserve that. I just wanted the first things that I can have in a foreign country like America in my country. I wanted freedom. I wanted to have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, to choose who I want to be.”

Meanwhile, Yousefimalakabad says he still can’t return to Iran, fearing he would be punished for his Christian beliefs and says although the regime could change, the ideology in Iran might not.

Source link