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. 207. NESDIS joint venture partnership transition program

(a) In general. The Assistant Administrator of the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, in consultation with the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, shall administer broad agency announcements and other transactional authority or contracting mechanisms, on an annual or more frequent basis, to support a joint venture partnership program that allows the Service to prioritize engagement with the private sector, academia, and other Federal departments and agencies.

(b) Transition program. To support the development of next-generation technologies, missions, data systems, spacecraft, and instrument design, the Assistant Administrator of the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, in consultation with the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, shall maintain a program to transition selected awards from research and study phases into demonstration. In selecting awardees for demonstrations, the Assistant Administrator shall consider technologies, missions, data systems, spacecraft, and instrument design that—

(1) improve upon the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s satellite architecture;

(2) have a direct impact on implementing the recommendations of the Administration’s 2018 Satellite Observing System Architecture Study, Building a Plan for NOAA’s 21st Century Satellite Observing System; and

(3) meet current or future mission requirements.

(c) Operational planning. In carrying out the transition program under subsection (b), the Assistant Administrator of the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service shall monitor demonstration phase progress and plan for promising results that meet mission requirements to be transitioned into National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s operational satellite architecture.

(d) Annual plan. The Assistant Administrator of the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation an annual plan that outlines the progress made in the joint venture partnership program under subsection (a), the transition program for demonstrations under section (b), and transition to operational architecture planning under subsection (c).

(e) Authorization of appropriations. From amounts authorized to be appropriated to the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, there is authorized to be appropriated $20,000,000 for fiscal years 2026 through 2030 to carry out to this section.

III Commercial Weather and Environmental Observations

IV Communicating Weather to the Public

V Improving Weather Information for Agriculture and Water Management