Weather warnings as cutbacks could put lives at risk

Weather experts fear lives could be put at risk because of cutbacks at the Bureau of Meteorology.

They're worried there's not enough accurate data going into official forecasts.

A Seven News investigation has found there are too many warnings of extreme conditions that don't come true.

Better to be safe than sorry but some weather experts say it could put lives at risk because people won't take warnings seriously.

Meteorologist Don White, who predicts weather for Seven News says, "very severe storms can cause loss of life so accurate forecasting is even more critical."

He says the industry is worried about new budget cuts at the Bureau.
"The accuracy of severe weather forecasting will probably deteriorate," he warns.

A memo shows weather balloons used to detect Sydney storms have been drastically cut back for summer.

The timing isn't good, with predictions this summer season will be a severe one.

More storms, cyclones and the worst bushfires seen in NSW in 40 years.

The Bureau says it has other technology to pick storms but an independent review also found extreme weather has it "stretched to the limits".

During the floods and cyclones of 2011, retired employees and contractors had to be called in.

Sustainability Secretary Don Farrell says, "We've employed these 20 extra forecasters and are training almost another 20."

But the federal government won't rule out further cuts next year.