Trump layoffs have hollowed out key weather monitoring staff amid storm season

The National Weather Service has lost about 10% of its staff, hitting offices prone to severe weather hardest

As deadly severe storms swept the US this week, recent Donald Trump administration staffing cuts have left key parts of weather monitoring and disaster preparedness systems severely understaffed, the Guardian has learned.

March typically signals the start of a four-month tornado season across the eastern two-thirds of the US. Last year's tornado season was one of the most prolific on record, and this year's tornado season is getting off to an early active start.