Take a look at the verification of the climate forecasts that are currently going out.  If all the climate normals were recalculated every year instead of every 10, there would hardly be any skill at all.  The forecasts are of so little value, as a NWS forecaster, I am personally embarassed to actually give them to a customer.  This seems to me just a huge power grab that is using the current human caused global warming hysteria in order to create a much bigger government.  Any number of Universities would be glad to do the same thing on a contract for a whole lot less money and not create a lot more FTEs that are hard to trim down.  The reality is that there are a glut of meterologist available and they can be hired a whole lot cheaper than what we pay federal GS employess.  Do the math and compare private and univerisity sector meteorologists to the federal ones.  By 2020, the human caused global warming hysteria will be over and we can just cancel the contract rather than creating this huge infrastructure or if I am wrong about the global warming, the contract can be extended.

It saves a lot of money and gives more flexiblilty for the future.