The FAA is looking at cutting its Contract Weather Observer staffing at 57 airports around the country, moving some duties to local ATC, according to an agency document and various media reports in recent weeks. Trained human weather observers contracted by the FAA supplement automated weather reports at towered airports, providing more discerning information including reports on weather-related hazards. The Fresno Bee in a report last year cited a May 2015 report (PDF) from an FAA evaluation panel, which states that weather reporting equipment has become more advanced and those ATC facilities that already provide supplemental weather data have done so for years without affecting service. Controllers, pilots, dispatchers and airlines have hands-on access to more weather information, reducing the need for dedicated observers, the report says. Technically, the FAA's proposal is to change the Contract Weather Observer airports to what's called Limited Aviation Weather Reporting Station sites, where controllers augment the automated data. The timeframe for the shift is not clear from the document, but it states that airports will continue to be evaluated and "the FAA will ensure that LAWRS controllers are properly trained." Such training would be done within four months.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/news/faa-seeks-to-cut-airport-weather-observers