National Weather Service

As extremely cold weather moves into the state this week, many Oklahomans are looking for ways to keep themselves, their pets, their homes and their vehicles safe and warm.

After nearly a decade, the director of the National Weather Service has stepped down. Getting the public to understand weather is just as important as the science that delivers the forecasts, he says.

It "was not based on science but on external factors including reputation and appearance, or simply put, political," the agency's acting chief scientist wrote.

In the escalating debate over weather projections, meteorologists fear their credibility is at stake.