NOAA chief to address forecasters amid Dorian flap

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — The head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a chance to weigh in on the fray over President Donald Trump's mistaken claim that Hurricane Dorian was threatening Alabama.

The acting administrator of the agency, Neil Jacobs, is set to speak Tuesday to a meeting of the National Weather Association in Huntsville, Alabama.

NOAA has come under intense criticism since it released a statement Friday chastising a National Weather Service office that contradicted Trump's tweeted claim.

A top NOAA official says the agency likely violated scientific integrity rules with the statement.

National Weather Service Director Louis Uccellini says forecasters in Birmingham did the right thing when they tried to combat panic and rumors that Dorian posed a threat to Alabama.

The storm stayed far east of the state.