AUSTIN (KXAN) — Paul Yura, the warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio office, has announced he has taken the early retirement offer as part of NOAA’s recent cuts to personnel and budget.
Yura has over 32 years experience, spending more than half of his career at the NWS Austin/San Antonio office. In the process, he gained tremendous experience understanding local weather patterns while ensuring timely warnings get disseminated to the public in a multitude of ways.
The warning coordination meteorologist (WCM) is a senior role at a local NWS office. According to NOAA, “The WCM coordinates the warning function of the office with the outside world. This would include heading the Skywarn Program, conducting spotter training and being a voice to the local media for the office.”
Only the ‘meteorologist in charge’ (MIC) has a higher position within a local office.
Yura’s retirement is part of an early retirement package offered to National Weather Service employees as the Trump Administration works to slash the budget at NWS and the larger NOAA organization.
In an e-mailed message to media partners, Yura said, “I cannot have asked for a more rewarding career that has spanned over 32 years, with over half of that career right here in South Central Texas as the WCM for the NWS Austin-San Antonio office. And while I am sad that it is ending a few years earlier than I had planned, the friendships and relationships that I have made while being your WCM cannot be replaced.”
As for a replacement to the WCM, the current hiring freeze, as mentioned by Yura in his message, may make filling that role more challenging.
This comes less than a week after several Regional Climate Center’s across the county had their funding “lapse” with no certainty of it returning.
The importance of experience in the WCM role cannot be understated. Ensuring ample and timely warning to the Central Texas counties covered by NWS Austin/San Antonio is among the chief responsibilities.
Yura’s final date of employment, April 30, comes just before severe weather season in Central Texas typically peaks in the month of May.
Staffing at NWS Austin/San Antonio
According to the NWS Austin/San Antonio website, the office is already short two meteorologist positions currently listed as vacant. The positions of ‘lead meteorologist’ and ‘meteorologist’ remain open. Separately, NWS Austin/San Antonio have a vacant ‘electronics technician’ position.
Science Operations Officer also retiring
In addition to Yura, Science Operations Officer Jon Zeitler is also retiring on April 30, but it is not an early retirement as part of NOAA personnel cuts. Zeitler has worked at NWS Austin/San Antonio for the past two decades and across all types of impactful severe weather and winter weather events in this area.
