A significant storm system that threatens the South, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic with severe weather — and heavy snow in the Midwest — is set to hit less than a week after NOAA saw layoffs that affected about 800 staff.

current and former staffers said an exodus of new hires and veterans will hinder the agency’s ability to monitor and predict weather hazards.

It's not clear how many people working at the National Weather Center lost their jobs, but news of the mass firings broke late Thursday afternoon.