How the government shutdown is impacting the National Weather Service

The federal government went into a partial shutdown on October 1, 2025. During a partial shutdown, essential workers will continue working, while others are furloughed until further notice.

Emergency services provided by the federal government are considered essential and therefore will remain mostly operational. This includes FEMA and NOAA. However, even these offices will be limited in some ways during the partial shutdown.

What’s Not Affected

According to a 2024 Office of Personnel Management document, “Guidance for Shutdown Furloughs,” operations within NOAA related to the protection of life and property will continue. The U.S. Department of Commerce confirms this in its plan for an orderly shutdown. The DOC is the umbrella department for NOAA and its subsidiaries.

The full article is available at ozarksfirst.com.

(Story by Tom Schmidt, ozarksfirst.com)