Experts said the NWS did a good job warning about the flooding, but questions remain about whether the cuts played a role.

"A lot of the weather forecast offices now are not operating at full complement of staff," said the former lead of NOAA.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer asked the Department of Commerce's acting inspector general Monday to probe whether staffing vacancies at the NWS's San Antonio office contributed to "delays, gaps, or diminished accuracy" in forecasting the flooding. He asked the watchdog to scrutinize the office's communications with Kerr County officials.