The Central Alabama outpost, one of 122 field offices across the country, is responsible for warnings and forecasts in 39 counties, some of which have been hit in recent years by deadly tornadoes.
The last time the Birmingham office made national news was when it was praised for issuing a tornado warning a full 12 minutes before a twister swept in. That was considered significant lead time and was credited with saving lives, even though the storm killed 23 people. For generations, Central Alabamians have relied on the office, which is one of three in the state. (Another office, in Tallahassee, Fla., covers five Alabama counties.)
“Of all the government agencies out there, they are the ones I believe in,” said Russell Thomas, who helps coordinate the efforts of the Alabama Emergency Response Team, a volunteer group that assists the office during bad weather.
As the office has tried to stay focused on coming storms, it has had to contend with a sustained campaign by Mr. Trump to back up the merits of his Twitter post, which has been widely ridiculed for being misleading, based on out-of-date information and ultimately incorrect.
Forecasters originally predicted that Hurricane Dorian’s effects could reach Alabama, but by the time Mr. Trump said the state could feel its effects, projections showed the storm headed up the East Coast. Even so, in the Oval Office days later, Mr. Trump showed reporters a blown-up map of the storm’s predicted path, its route extended slightly into southeast Alabama with a black marker.
The Times reported on Wednesday that Mr. Trump had pressed his aides to intervene with NOAA officials and have the agency “clarify” its forecasters’ position. That prompted Mick Mulvaney, his chief of staff, to call Wilbur Ross, the commerce secretary. Mr. Ross then warned NOAA’s acting administrator that top agency employees could be fired if the situation were not addressed. Mr. Ross’s spokesman had denied he threatened to fire anyone.
At a weather conference in Huntsville last week, the National Weather Service director forcefully defended the Birmingham office, asking its members to stand for a round of applause.
