Oregon
National Weather Service staff cut 30-40% in Oregon, jeopardizing forecast, warnings
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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.
The Oregon Ducks have been progressing through the class of 2027 with hopes of landing some of their top target’s commitment on both the offense and the defense.
With many names left on the board, the Ducks have started to receive some great news, including some news from someone they have been targeting since they offered back in January of 2025.
Darius Johnson Releases His Top Four Schools
One of the Ducks top targets’ in the 2027 class at the cornerback position is Darius Johnson. Johnson recently released his top schools with Hayes Fawcett, as he is entering a crucial part of his recruitment. The four schools he has listed at the top include the California Golden Bears, Michigan Wolverines, UCLA Bruins, and the Oregon Ducks.
Johnson is one of the better cornerbacks in the country. He currently ranks as the nation’s No. 178 prospect in the country, No. 20 player at the position, and the No. 14 player in the state of California, according to Rivals. Landing his commitment would be major for any of the schools, as he is someone who could see the field early due to his size, and his growing ability to lockdown a side of the field all by himself.
More About Darius Johnson
Johnson currently measures in at 6-1 and 155 pounds, and will be someone who continues to add weight through his high school program, and will eventually have the chance to really improve his frame when he gets to college. As of now, each of the four schools has a solid chance to win its recruiting battle, but there seems to be a clear leader at this moment.
The leader for the Ducks target seems to be the Michigan Wolverines, who have the only scheduled official visit at this moment. It seems likely that the talented prospect will schedule his other official visits sooner rather than later now that he has officially cut down his list. If the Ducks want to land his commitment, they will need to get him on an official visit because they are likely trailing at this point.
What If He Committed to Oregon Today?
If he were to commit to the Ducks today, he would be the ninth commitment for the Ducks in the class of 2027. He would also be the third cornerback commit for the Ducks in the class of 2027, which is a position they have been recruiting heavily. The cornerbacks the Ducks have at this moment are four-star Ai’King Hall from the state of Alabama and four-star Josiah Molden from the state of Oregon.
Some of their other commits at this moment include four-star EDGE Rashad Streets, four-star defensive linemen Zane Rowe, and four-star EDGE Cameron Pritchett. This class is shaping up to be another top-five class if the pieces continue to fall into place for Oregon coach Dan Lanning and his staff.
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Oregon tight end Jamari Johnson, after an impressive 2025 season with the Ducks, now becomes the leader at his position following the departure of star Kenyon Sadiq to the NFL.
With an Oregon offense set to return several top stars and bring in two talents at the tight end position, Johnson looks to not only improve as a leader but build off his impressive 2025 season, in which he recorded 32 receptions for 510 yards and three touchdowns.
Here’s everything Johnson had to say during his media appearance following Oregon’s scrimmage on Saturday, with the spring game on the horizon.
Everything Tight End Jamari Johnson Said After Spring Scrimmage
What He Learned From Playing With Tight End Kenyon Sadiq:
“So many, but one is training. Everybody in this facility harps on it, and it’s just a standard here. It’s like him from last year, that man strained his guts out almost every play. I just feel like I got to do the exact same thing or even more to uphold the standard.”
Stepping Up At Tight End:
“It just changed because obviously Kenyon leaving somebody has to step up and be a leader in the room, and me being one of the older guys, it just happens to be me. I just accepted that role, and I actually kind of like it, getting these young guys going, getting them in the playbook and getting them used to college football.”
Participating Again In Spring Practice:
“It feels good coming back. Feels like I have something to prove for me personally, I feel like I haven’t really done anything in college football. I feel like this year is that year for me to show everybody what I’m about.”
On Tight Ends Kendre Harrison and Andrew Olesh:
“Both good dudes, they both got that dog in them. Andrew, he came from Penn State. He’s been coming along well, getting in the playbook. Kendre, he’s a big, tall guy, getting in the playbook too. They’ve been getting after it, man. It’s been good taking them under my wing. Hopefully, we just get going this year.”
Goals and Expectations Ahead of Spring Game:
“I’ll say one expectation that we really try to harp on in the room is just going 100 percent. That’s with your effort, that’s with knowing the plays and just giving it your all. A goal is just to get in that endzone. That’s one of the goals for the tight end room right there.”
Why He Returned to Oregon:
“Like I said earlier, to me, I felt like I haven’t really done anything in college football. That was one of the reasons, and another is I wouldn’t say I’m not ready for the NFL, but like that’s pretty much what I’m getting at, is just like I have a lot of stuff to work on that’s within footwork and hand placement, block in the run game, and route details. Getting to the right depth and just touching up everything I can so when I get to the NFL, there’s none of those problems, it’s just the big problems I have to fix.”
How Reps Helped Him Improve:
“It really helped me. Last year, we ran a lot of twelve personnel at the end of the season because we had a couple of injuries, but that really helped me. This year, I feel like I’m coming in rolling off the ground. It’s just so much more fluent, and those reps really helped me with the playbook. Playbook is way easier now, and I’m getting a good feel for it.”
His Leadership Traits:
“I like to get the guys going. I have a real voice on the field, and if y’all hear me on the field, I get the guys going. I wouldn’t say I’m a vocal leader, but I lead by example. Vocal leader, probably something I need to work on.”
On New Offensive Coordinator Drew Mehringer:
“It’s been different. They’re two different people, coach (Will) Stein and coach Drew. My guy’s getting us going. I’m excited for this season.”
Supporting Dakorien Moore At Track Meet:
“Yesterday, that touched my heart, man. Just all of us going out there, and it wasn’t even just for Dakorien. It was really for Oregon. It was just more for Dakorien because we see him every day. That really touched my heart, and the connection is just unbelievable. I don’t think many people are doing that for their teammates.”
Quarterback Dante Moore’s Growth:
“That guy has his head on his shoulders at all times. He’s been growing consistently, but it’s a couple of different things. I probably can’t name them right now, but he’s been having his head on his shoulders. He’s just been on the climb.”
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Oregon
Oregon man mounted a jet engine on a 60-year-old fishing boat to blast around a lake and thinks he may have set a world record
A man from Oregon has unveiled something truly crazy after he added a jet engine to the back of a 60-year-old fishing boat – and he suspects he might have broken a world record.
YouTuber Robert Maddox from CrazyRocketman mounted a pulsejet engine and its 230lbs of thrust to the back of a 1965 12-foot Sears fishing boat.
A wild juxtaposition by any standard, and the video he posted on YouTube confirms that as the diminutive boat roars away.
But did the YouTuber actually actually get the record?
How does this 1965 Sears fishing boat get its power?
The video shows the Oregon man hurling the boat around a lake, with the engine glowing behind him.
Strapped to the back of the boat is a pulsejet engine that produces 230lbs of thrust.
Pulsejet engines are smaller, lighter jet engines with combustion occurring in pulses.
Such is their simplicity that they can be made with few or even no moving parts at all.
Engines like these were used on the German V-1 Flying Bomb from World War II.
These were the Argus As 014 engines, the very first pulsejet ever to be mass-produced.
It is a smaller and even simpler version of these that Maddox has put on the back of his boat.
The funny noise they make comes from the way in which the jet makes its power.
This old boat could be a record holder
In his video, Maddox had clearly enjoyed his outing on the boat.
“Man, this boat really is super controllable,” he said, highlighting the ease with which it handles.
The video suggested there are a few niggles still to sort out on the boat.
“It was making all kinds of fuel noises, I’ve probably got a fuel pump out or something,” he added.
Yet this isn’t the end of the road for this particular project.
“I’m going to do a lot with this boat, and put a twin engine on it,” Maddox said in the video.
Given the speed of the vessel, with two pulsejet engines, this should rocket through the water.
That means another world record could be up for grabs for the Oregon YouTuber.
If there was any doubt over a world record with one engine, two engines should end the debate in an instant.
Jet engine timeline
150 AD – Hero of Alexandria invents the aeolipile, a steam-powered device demonstrating the basic jet principle
1930 – Frank Whittle successfully patents the first design for a working gas turbine jet engine
1937 – Hans von Ohain tests his first centrifugal turbojet engine prototype in Germany
1939 – The Heinkel He 178 makes the first successful flight powered entirely by a jet engine
1941 – The Gloster E.28/39 completes the first British jet flight using Whittle’s engine design
1944 – The Messerschmitt Me 262 enters combat service as the world’s first operational jet fighter
1949 – The de Havilland Comet makes its maiden flight to become the first commercial jet airliner
1958 – The Boeing 707 enters commercial service and officially kicks off the global Jet Age
1969 – Concorde takes off for the first time to pioneer supersonic passenger jet travel
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