President Donald Trump holds a chart as he talks with reporters after receiving a briefing on Hurricane Dorian in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
WASHINGTON 鈥� A federal agency reversed course Friday on the question of whether President Donald Trump tweeted stale information about Hurricane Dorian potentially hitting Alabama, upsetting meteorologists around the country.
On Sunday, Trump had warned that Alabama, along with the Carolinas and Georgia, was 鈥渕ost likely to be hit (much) harder than anticipated.鈥�
The National Weather Service in Birmingham, Alabama, tweeted in response: 鈥淎labama will NOT see any impacts from #Dorian. We repeat, no impacts from Hurricane #Dorian will be felt across Alabama. The system will remain too far east.鈥�
But the president has been adamant throughout the week that he was correct, and the White House has deployed government resources and staff to back him.
The latest defense came out Friday evening, when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a statement from an unidentified spokesman stating that information provided by NOAA and the National Hurricane Center to the president had demonstrated that 鈥渢ropical-storm-force winds from Hurricane Dorian could impact Alabama.鈥� The advisories were dated from last Wednesday, Aug. 28, through Monday, the statement read.
Friday鈥檚 statement also said the Birmingham NWS tweet Sunday morning 鈥渟poke in absolute terms that were inconsistent with probabilities from the best forecast products available at the time.鈥�
The statement from NOAA contrasts with comments the agency鈥檚 spokesman, Chris Vaccaro, made Sunday. 鈥淭he current forecast path of Dorian does not include Alabama,鈥� Vaccaro said at the time.
Friday鈥檚 NOAA statement, attributed to an unnamed spokesman and released just before 5 p.m. Friday, points to a few graphics issued by the National Hurricane Center to support Trump鈥檚 claims. The maps show percentage possibility of tropical storm force winds in the United States. Parts of Alabama were covered, usually with 5% to 10% chances, between Aug. 27 and Sept. 3. Maps on Aug. 30 grew to cover far more of Alabama, but for only 12 hours, and the highest percentage hit 20% to 30% before quickly shrinking back down.
Alabama was not mentioned in any of the 75 forecast advisories the hurricane center sent out between Aug. 27 and Sept. 2. Nor was any Alabama city mentioned in the charts that listed percentage chances of tropical storm force winds or hurricane force winds. Every state along the U.S. East Coast 鈥� as well as Canada and inland places like Washington, D.C. 鈥� was mentioned in those charts, but not Alabama.
Dan Sobien, president of the union representing weather service employees, tweeted Friday, 鈥淟et me assure you the hard working employees of the NWS had nothing to do with the utterly disgusting and disingenuous tweet sent out by NOAA management tonight.鈥�
Other meteorologists also voiced concerns about NOAA鈥檚 actions Friday.
鈥淚 am very disappointed to see this statement come out from NOAA,鈥� Oklahoma University meteorology professor Jason Furtado told The Associated Press. 鈥淚 am thankful for the folks at NWS Birmingham for their work in keeping the citizens of Alabama informed and up to date on weather hazards.鈥�
Furtado said NOAA鈥檚 statement and the president鈥檚 Twitter 鈥渨ar on weather鈥� are undermining confidence in meteorologists, adding, 鈥淭he job just got harder because of this issue.鈥�
University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd, former president of the American Meteorology Society, simply responded, 鈥淥MG.鈥�
Brian McNoldy, a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami, cited the focus that NOAA placed on 鈥渢ropical force winds鈥� in its Friday evening statement. He said the first assertion about such winds from Dorian affecting Alabama is fine, but the second assertion 鈥渟eems to be excessive.鈥�
McNoldy said the National Weather Service 鈥渉ad the right tone and message for the time. Alabama, for some time, was on the fringe of probabilities of experiencing tropical storm winds. That is not very threatening.鈥�
鈥淭he Birmingham office was correct,鈥� said a NOAA staffer familiar with the situation but speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of being fired in reprisal.
MIT meteorology professor Kerry Emanuel said Trump鈥檚 鈥渂roadcast of false information is inexcusable.鈥�
NOAA鈥檚 mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth鈥檚 environment. It is part of the Commerce Department, overseen by Secretary Wilbur Ross. The White House did not immediately respond to a question of whether someone at the White House had asked NOAA to issue its statement.