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National Weather Service vacancies a hazard to employees – and public -- union says.

Despite the lifting of a hiring freeze several months ago, the National Weather Service still has over 500 vacancies -- a 14 percent shortage -- according to the weather service's union.

As a result, union officials say, meteorologists – including the bosses in some forecasts offices --  are working on overdrive and overtime, and combat fatigue might be having an impact on forecast quality.

In the Eastern Region, which covers the densely populated areas from the Carolinas to Maine and from Ohio eastward, 81 positions  -- 15 to 18 percent -- are unfilled, said David Solano, the regional union official and a hydrologist at the weather's service river-forecast center, in State College

The agency says money is available to fill 31 vacancies in the region, but the union says that still would leave serious shortages and that the vacancy situation is becoming a crisis.

"It's crippling us," said Solano, whose office is responsible for flood warnings along the Delaware River, Schuylkill, and all rivers and major tributaries in the Midatlantic region.

He said that an analysis of weather-service verification scores showed that "false alarm" rates have risen and accuracy scores have dropped substantially in Eastern Region offices hampered by vacancies.

He said the vacancies include two of 12 hydrology positions in his office. He said that some offices, including Mount Holly's, now are fully staffed, but only as a result of transfers. Before June, Mount Holly was down 2 to 4 employees.

National Weather Service spokesman Chris Vaccaro said that of the 31 Eastern Region vacancies for which it has funding, the weather service is in the process of filling 27 of them.

"The agency is just not filling positions fast enough," said Dan Sobien, the National Weather Service Employees Organization president.

Nor is it filling enough of them, contend Solano and Sobien, adding that they believe the agency has undertaken a stealth downsizing.

For some, the staff shortages results might have even have a lucrative side, given the mass quantities of overtime, but Solano said the price isn't worth it.

"The forecasters don't want the overtime anymore," he said. "There's more to life than work."