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. 208. Advanced weather interactive processing system

(a) In general. The Under Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Weather Service, shall develop a strategy to transition operations of the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System to an operational cloud-based environment in order to enable a more nimble, flexible, and mobile workforce.

(b) Services. The Under Secretary shall ensure that the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System in an operational cloud-based environment referred to in subsection (a) provides impact-based decision support services to emergency managers at the Federal, State, local, and Tribal levels, and continues to provide the following services:

(1) Integrating and displaying forecast data, including meteorological, hydrological, climate, ocean, satellite, and radar data, for National Weather Service field offices and national centers.

(2) Acquiring and processing observational data from sensors and local sources.

(3) Providing an interactive communications system, including the satellite broadcast network, to connect relevant National Weather Service employees and sites.

(4) Initiating the dissemination of weather, water, marine, ecological, climate, aviation, and space warnings and forecasts in a rapid and highly reliable manner.

(c) Elements. The transition strategy developed pursuant to subsection (a) may include the following:

(1) Establishment or support of testbeds, pilot projects, and functional testing activities to facilitate remote evaluation and automated testing.

(2) Coordinated training efforts needed for Federal and non-Federal users and operators of the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System in an operational cloud-based environment referred to in subsection (a).

(3) Evaluation of bandwidth requirements to achieve a quality user experience.

(4) Installation of circuits to reduce lapses in network operations and support backup functions.

(5) Establishment of a cloud-based, remotely accessible repository for data referred to in subsection (b)(2).

(6) Development and deployment of virtualized systems to replace physical hardware at operational sites.

(7) Evaluation of commercial cloud providers, including hybrid approaches, to meet mission needs.

(8) Development, testing, demonstration, evaluation, and operationalization of forecast and warning products, consistent with the mission and scientific expertise of the Administration.

(d) Transition deadline. The Under Secretary shall take such actions as may be necessary to ensure the transition strategy described in subsection (a) is completed by not later than September 30, 2030.

(e) Updates to Congress. The Under Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate periodic updates on the implementation of this section.

(f) Continued innovation. Nothing in this section may be construed as prohibiting the development of new forecast capabilities, sub-systems, or implementing modeling advancements on the operational computing systems of the Administration.

III Commercial Weather and Environmental Observations

IV Communicating Weather to the Public

V Improving Weather Information for Agriculture and Water Management