Federal workforce reductions hit NOAA, the agency responsible for monitoring natural disasters and providing crucial weather forecasts across the nation.

Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) released a statement saying, “Today, hundreds of employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), including weather forecasters at the National Weather Service (NWS), were given termination notices for no good reason. This is unconscionable.”

The terminations come days before a potential severe weather outbreak in the southeastern U.S. — and just months ahead of the next Atlantic hurricane season.