The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued watches for tornadoes in Kansas and Missouri, which were not anticipated until the threat was imminent. This has raised concerns about changes to the service's forecasting schedule. The weather service has stated that its weather model performance has not been impacted by these changes. Meteorologist Alan Gerard, who retired last year as director of analysis and understanding at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Severe Storms Laboratory, believes the change may be due to staffing issues. The NWS halted balloon launches at some locations and is now delaying them elsewhere due to short staffing shortages.