Edwin is joined by WGN-TV chief meteorologist emeritus Tom Skilling, who discussed the severe consequences of budget cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service. He highlighted that the service collects 6.3 billion weather observations daily and produces 1.5 million forecasts and 50,000 warnings annually. "These are essential," Skilling told WCPT. "They're life saving."

He emphasized the critical role of local offices in providing accurate, real-time data to first responders and the aviation industry, and warned that federal budget cuts could degrade forecast accuracy and jeopardize public safety. 

"[W]hat's going on is really concerning in an agency that's been lean and mean and consistently ranked among the most respected federal agencies in our government," Skilling said. "People respect the weather service. It's often the top-rated government federal agency, because people understand its products and use them all the time." 

Catch “The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath” Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/the-big-picture).  

And find “The Big Picture (Full Episodes)” podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, YouTube, Amazon and TuneIn.