The National Weather Service Office in Pendleton is set to no longer staff meteorologists overnight because of recent cuts made by the Trump administration, potentially resulting in fewer emergency weather updates for much of Oregon and Washington.

Staff at the regional weather office told The Bulletin they were not authorized to speak about the cuts. The office’s parent organization, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has not responded to questions about how this change will impact weather notifications in the region.

A report by the Washington Post says the Pendleton office is one of seven regional offices set to halt overnight staffing, and that those duties will be redistributed to other Weather Service offices despite their own staffing cuts. 

One of the main duties for the Pendleton office is to provide forecasting and hazardous weather warnings for parts of Washington and much of Central and Northeast Oregon, including the snow-ridden eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains. According to the National Weather Service’s website, the office provides daily forecasts and emergency reports for commuters and residents about general weather, snow conditions, hail storms, wind storms, thunderstorms, flooding, freezing rain and heat waves. 

The National Weather Service offices also provide reports specific to fire weather, which helps firefighters respond appropriately to wildfires during the summer based on wind and heat conditions. According to NOAA, some National Weather Service meteorologists are even trained in helping the U.S. Forest Service and other firefighting agencies determine how easily combustible materials could ignite and judge which areas near a fire are most at risk due to wind conditions.

Earlier this month, Gov. Tina Kotek said in a news release that Oregon is anticipating a dangerous fire season this year. Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington State, has already called on the Trump administration to immediately approve NOAA’s request for an exemption to the federal hiring freeze in the name of public safety.

“It is unacceptable that the weather forecast office for central Washington state will no longer have enough meteorologists to staff overnight shifts, which will jeopardize local forecasts and warning information which is imperative for firefighters, transportation workers, the public and emergency managers,” Cantwell said in a statement.