Former top officials of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are assailing the agency for undermining its weather forecasters as it defends President Donald Trump's claim that Hurricane Dorian had threatened Alabama.
They say NOAA's action risks the credibility of the nation's weather and science agency and may even risk lives.
The critics served both Republican and Democratic presidents. Among them are four former top NOAA officials and a former disaster response chief.
On Friday, a NOAA statement from an anonymous spokesperson lent support to Trump's warning days earlier that Alabama faced danger from Dorian. Alabama had never been included in official hurricane advisories and his information was outdated.
The statement undermined a National Weather Service tweet from Sunday that had said Alabama would see no impact from Dorian.
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