Kris Tripplaar/AP photo It’s rough skies ahead for these federal employees targeted in a new storm of job cuts at the hands of Elon Musk. Hundreds of weather forecasters and other employees of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) were among those axed by Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE),

Mark Eakin, a recently retired NOAA veteran who ran its Coral Reef Watch program for many years, told the Miami Herald he was alarmed by the “indiscriminate” slashes throughout the agency, which oversees everything from cutting-edge climate research to day-to-day operations that farmers and fishers rely on, as well as life-saving weather warnings.

“The now-confirmed and rumored additional cuts to come at NOAA/NWS are spectacularly short-sighted, and ultimately will deal a major self-inflicted wound to the public safety of Americans and the resiliency of the American economy to weather and climate-related disasters,” UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain wrote.

Hundreds of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) employees, including weather forecasters, have had their jobs terminated, according to lawmakers and weather experts.Remaining federal workers reported that the layoffs included meteorologists vital to local forecasting at National Weather Service offices nationwide.

Elon Musk threatened to fire even more federal workers if they did not respond to his email demanding a list of five tasks completed.

Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., released a statement saying: “Today, hundreds of employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), including weather forecasters at the National Weather Service (NWS), were given termination notices for no good reason. This is unconscionable.”