Texas officials question scaled-back Weather Service’s flood forecasts - but experts say the agency did all it could
Fears Trump cuts may have led to scaled-back Texas flood predictions
- Devastating floods in Central Texas have resulted in at least 51 fatalities, including 15 children, with 27 attendees of Camp Mystic still unaccounted for.
- Texas officials are questioning the accuracy of National Weather Service (NWS) forecasts, saying that predicted rainfall amounts were significantly lower than what actually occurred.
- The NWS issued a "life-threatening flash flooding" warning over three hours before the first reports of flooding, and meteorologists are defending the agency's actions despite the difficulty of pinpointing exact rainfall.
- Concerns have been raised that previous staff reductions at the NWS, implemented by President Donald Trump's administration, may have impacted the agency's forecasting capabilities, despite claims of adequate staffing.
- Local lawmakers are anticipating "finger-pointing" over the response, while Donald Trump has described the floods as a "shocking" tragedy and pledged federal aid.