COLLEGE PARK, MD - JANUARY 21: Former National Weather Service Director Louis Uccellini speaks ... More during a news conference on a winter storm forecast Jan. 21, 2016, at the NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

My colleague John Morales went viral this week for going on the air to caution that cuts to the National Weather Service have made him less confident in his ability to warn the public about hurricanes. Miami-based Morales, who was trained at Cornell and Johns Hopkins University, is a colleague I’ve interacted with many times during my tenure as president of the American Meteorological Society. He is simply one of the most respected broadcast meteorologists within our field. His forward stance is not surprising, but meteorologists have been a hot topic in recent weeks. Let’s talk about their rise.

STERLING, VA-OCTOBER 1: A computer tracks a weather balloon in flight at National Weather Service ... More headquarters on Oct. 1, 2012, in Sterling, Virginia. (Photo by Benjamin C. Tankersley/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

A broadcast meteorologist is likely the only scientist the general public encounters on a daily basis. I will say more about that later. Morales is passionate about the field of meteorology and people. While Hurricane Milton approached the Tampa Bay region last year, he broke into tears during coverage for WTVJ. He later explained in Mother Jones why he got so emotional. “With climate-driven extremes putting us in a place that we........

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