The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Little Rock will implement temporary service adjustments beginning July 13, 2025, as part of ongoing efforts to manage staffing changes while continuing to meet its mission of delivering life-saving weather information.
In a public notice, the NWS assured residents and stakeholders that despite the modifications, essential services—such as critical forecasts, warnings, and decision support—will remain active and uninterrupted.
“As we navigate recent staffing transitions, we remain committed to our core mission,” the notice stated. “We are actively identifying both near-term and long-term solutions to restore full services as soon as possible.”
The following changes will take effect on July 13:
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Upper-Air Balloon Launches: Reduced to two daily launches at 00Z and 06Z.
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Public Outreach: All community events and educational programs, including SKYWARN storm spotter classes, will be discontinued.
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Area Forecast Discussions (AFD): Limited to one issuance per day (06Z), with additional updates only in response to significant weather developments. Aviation discussions will continue with each Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) update.
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Climate Products: Data processing will be limited to the midnight run. The afternoon update will become an automated process.
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Graphicast: These graphical forecasts will only be issued in cases of significant weather threats.
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Hazardous Weather Outlook (HWO): Permanently discontinued.
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Agricultural Observations (AGO): Permanently discontinued.
NWS officials emphasized that these service changes are temporary, with the exception of the HWO and AGO products, which will no longer be offered.
For ongoing weather updates and alerts, the public is encouraged to visit www.weather.gov/lzk or follow the NWS Little Rock office on social media.
