Top meteorologist at Houston NWS retires early amid Trump administration staffing cuts

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Jeff Evans spent decades working as a meteorologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Through his forecasts and research, he protected communities across the country during severe weather.

In his final role, Evans was the Meteorologist In Charge (MIC) of the National Weather Service office in Houston, the highest rank a meteorologist can have at a local forecast office.

Thursday, Feb. 27, was Evans' last day on the job. He took an early retirement offer that was given to federal employees by the new administration.

While his last day as a federal employee was last Thursday, he is still getting paid until the end of September.

Ahead of his last day, ABC13 Meteorologist Elyse Smith spoke exclusively to Evans to reflect on his career and learn more about his decision to leave a job he loves so soon.

"I lost a lot of sleep," Evans said. "You feel torn because you love the mission, and you also don't want to leave the staff, especially in such uncertain times."

Speaking of those uncertain times, hundreds of NOAA employees were unexpectedly laid off Thursday following a move from the Trump administration. The cuts mainly impacted employees who had been on the job for less than a year, whether as new hire, recently promoted, or moved within the agency.

"I think as a federal employee, a lot of folks are more in survival mode. They don't know what's coming," Evans said.

Following the mass layoffs last week, Democratic leaders in Congress held a press conference featuring former NOAA Administrators. Officials confirmed that every office within NOAA has been impacted by these layoffs.

When asked if public safety could be at risk due to the cut in staffing across NOAA, Evans said, "It's tough to answer. We'll have to see how many people leave with the early retirements."

This was prior to learning of the additional layoffs that also occurred last Thursday, which coincided with the last day for those who took the early retirement route.

Impacts are starting to be seen across NOAA entities. One weather service office in Alaska stated that they are halting their weather balloon operations due to their staffing shortage. Former NOAA administrators also worry that public safety will be at risk come hurricane season with layoffs affecting operations related to tropical research. Evans also confirmed that the NWS office in Houston is now understaffed.

As Jeff moves on from his career, he's leaving a legacy of compassion for the work. Predicting the weather could be easier than predicting the fate of his former coworkers.

His advice for his former staff: "Tune out the noise, focus on our mission. Our mission is not going away anytime soon."

It's a mission that could be tougher than ever with fewer eyes on the sky.

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