The Trump administration reportedly began carrying out hundreds of layoffs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday, though so far the National Weather Service office for New Orleans and Baton Rouge was not affected, an official there said.

The terminations come days before a potential severe weather outbreak early next week in the southeast United States — and just months ahead of the next Atlantic hurricane season.

Federal employees who monitor and forecast the nation’s weather and climate have been hit with a wave of mass firings.

New layoffs under the Trump administration have hit NOAA, including the National Weather Service, with 5% of employees fired. NBC News' Bill Karins reports on the potential impact on severe weather warnings.

Hundreds of weather forecasters and other federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employees on probationary status were fired

Hundreds of NOAA and National Weather Service employees were laid off Thursday in the latest round of federal workforce cuts under President Donald Trump’s administration.

The Commerce Department has begun laying off potentially hundreds of NOAA employees, many with specialized skills who work at one of the world's top climate science and weather forecasting agencies. Why it matters: The National Oceanics and Atmospherics Administration is responsible for providing weather watches and warnings,