H.R. 5089

Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025

Sponsor: Frank D. Lucas

26 cosponsors
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Official summary

Written by the Congressional Research Service.

Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2025 or the Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025

This bill reauthorizes, revises, and establishes several programs related to weather forecasting, monitoring, and research. 

For example, the bill reauthorizes through FY2030 programs that are administered by the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), including the U.S. Weather Research Program. It also provides statutory authority for NOAA's Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment (known as VORTEX-USA).

The bill also requires NOAA to establish programs that support weather forecasting technology, including improvements to radar accuracy, weather forecasting in underserved areas, and coastal flooding forecasting. NOAA must also acquire weather-related data from the private sector and establish a pilot program to test the compatibility of this data with NOAA infrastructure. 

In addition, NOAA must improve weather-related communication systems, including those related to hazardous weather events, through system upgrades that use more modern technology (e.g., cloud-based services) and that allow for expanded coverage (e.g., in rural areas).

Finally, NOAA must administer programs that support weather forecasting for agricultural and water management, including pilot programs to improve precipitation forecasts in the western and central states and a soil moisture monitoring network. 

Text of the bill

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I Reauthorization of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017

II Enhancing Federal Weather Forecasting and Innovation

Sec. 203. Data voids in highly vulnerable areas of the United States

(a) In general. The Under Secretary, in coordination with the Director of the National Weather Service and the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in consultation with the United States weather industry, academic partners, and in accordance with activities implemented through existing regional atmospheric, coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes observing systems, shall carry out activities to ensure equitable and comprehensive weather observation coverage and emergency information sharing in the United States, including relating to the following:

(1) Reviewing areas in the continental United States and the territories that are considered under-observed, underserved, or highly vulnerable for weather phenomenon, including urban and offshore regions, and identifying associated challenges to providing such coverage.

(2) Increasing weather observations and developing new weather observational capabilities, such as urban heat island mapping campaigns, with respect to under-observed, underserved, or highly vulnerable regions.

(3) Establishing or supporting testbeds to develop and integrate new weather, water, and climate observation or emergency information sharing tools, such as next generational or supplemental radars for weather observations, in under-observed, underserved, or highly vulnerable regions.

(4) To the maximum extent practicable, advancing weather and water forecasting and climate modeling capabilities for under-observed, underserved, or highly vulnerable regions.

(5) Undertaking workforce development efforts for emergency management officials and meteorologists in under-observed, underserved, or highly vulnerable areas, including urban regions, of the United States.

(6) Using data void filling observations to better resolve extreme rainfall in complex topography.

(7) Contributing to a national integrated heat health information systems.

(b) Pilot program. In carrying out this section, the Under Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Weather Service and the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, shall establish an interagency partnership to support pilot projects that accelerate coordination and use of localized weather, water, and climate data and impact-based communications in infrastructure and emergency management decisions by Federal, State, and local officials.

(c) Priority. At least one pilot project under subsection (b) shall address key science challenges to using mesonet data in local decision making and development of new tools and training for owners and operators of critical infrastructure (as such term is defined in section 1016(e) of Public Law 107–56 (42 U.S.C. 5195c(e))), such as dams, energy generation and distribution facilities, nuclear power plants, and transportation networks.

III Commercial Weather and Environmental Observations

IV Communicating Weather to the Public

V Improving Weather Information for Agriculture and Water Management