This archive report was first published on 15 September 2019.
Published on September 15, 2019, the Birmingham National Weather Service office has been a trusted source for weather forecasts and warnings in Central Alabama for generations. Located in one of 122 field offices across the country, the Birmingham office is responsible for issuing warnings and forecasts in 39 counties, some of which have been hit by deadly tornadoes in recent years.
The office's reputation was put to the test when President Trump made a misleading forecast about Hurricane Dorian's path. Despite forecasters originally predicting that the storm's effects could reach Alabama, Trump claimed that the state could feel its effects, even though projections showed the storm headed up the East Coast.
As the office has tried to stay focused on coming storms, it has had to contend with a sustained campaign by Trump to back up the merits of his Twitter post, which has been widely ridiculed for being misleading, based on out-of-date information and ultimately incorrect.
Forecasters at the Birmingham office have been praised for their accurate tornado warnings, including one that saved lives in 2019. Russell Thomas, who helps coordinate the efforts of the Alabama Emergency Response Team, a volunteer group that assists the office during bad weather, said, “Of all the government agencies out there, they are the ones I believe in.”
At a weather conference in Huntsville, the National Weather Service director forcefully defended the Birmingham office, asking its members to stand for a round of applause.
