Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025

(d) Hazard communication research and engagement

(1) In general. The Under Secretary shall maintain, as appropriate, a program to—

(A) modernize the development and communication of risk-based, statistically reliable, probabilistic hazard information, with the goal of informing appropriate responses to hazardous weather or water events; and

(B) improve the fundamental social, behavioral, economic, risk, and communication science relating to communications, including by means of collecting voluntary data, regarding hazardous weather or water events.

(2) Coordination. In carrying out the program under paragraph (1), the Under Secretary shall coordinate and communicate with States, Tribal governments, localities, and emergency managers regarding research priorities and results.

(3) Pilot program for tornado hazard communication required. To further research into communications regarding hazardous weather or water events, the Under Secretary, in coordination with the VORTEX program under section 103 and in collaboration with one or more eligible institutions (or a consortia thereof), shall establish a pilot program for tornado hazard communication to test the effectiveness of implementing research into operations with respect to tornadoes.

(4) Pilot study for hurricane hazard communication

(A) In general. To further research into communications regarding hazardous weather or water events, the Under Secretary, in coordination with the hurricane forecast improvement program under section 104, shall seek to enter into an agreement with an appropriate entity, as determined by the Under Secretary, to conduct a pilot study using a mixed methods approach, such as surveys, focus groups, and interviews, to gather information from hurricane prone population areas regarding the levels of preparedness of such areas for hurricanes or in response to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s early forecasts and warnings. Such study shall evaluate the following:

(i) Possession of disaster supplies.

(ii) Evacuation decisions.

(iii) Levels of trust of tropical cyclone information and hurricane path prediction from various sources.

(iv) Access to tropical cyclone and hurricane warnings in such study participant’s first language.

(v) Determination regarding such study participant’s reasoning that may hinder the ability of such a participant to evacuate or willingness to evacuate.

(B) Additional criteria. The pilot study described in subparagraph (A) shall define its methodology and be made publicly available on a website of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

(5) Eligible institution defined. In this subsection, the term eligible institution means any of the following:

(A) An institution of higher education, nonprofit organization, or other institution located in a jurisdiction eligible to participate in the program under section 113 of the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 1988 (42 U.S.C. 1862g).

(B) An institution of higher education, nonprofit organization, or other institution located in proximity to a Weather Forecast Office of the National Weather Service.

(e) Hurricane social, behavioral, and economic sciences. As part of the program carried out under subsection (d), the Under Secretary shall carry out research and development activities to improve how the public receives, interprets, responds to, and values hurricane forecasts and warnings. In conducting such activities, the Under Secretary shall—

(1) conduct a comprehensive review of what is known about how the public receives, interprets, responds to, and makes decisions regarding hurricane forecasts and warnings, including—

(A) how the connections between weather observations, downstream models, and processes affect the decision tools or products derived from such hurricane forecasts and warnings;

(B) how such hurricane forecasts and warnings generated by decision tools and products are used by emergency managers, governments, and other users to benefit the public and stakeholder groups;

(C) how past experiences with hurricanes impacts decision making;

(D) how the source of such hurricane forecasts and warnings affects interpretation;

(E) how tropical cyclone warnings and watches are received and interpreted;

(F) how understanding of and response to such hurricane forecasts and warnings vary across demographic groups, including the elderly, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable populations;

(G) language barriers; and

(H) how understanding and response to such hurricane forecasts and warnings varies across geographic areas, including rural, urban, and suburban areas;

(2) identify communication data gaps based on the review conducted pursuant to paragraph (1);

(3) carry out research, including data collection and baseline assessments, in coordination with the hurricane forecast improvement program under section 104 to evaluate and quantify the economic value of extending lead times of tropical cyclone and hurricane warnings and watches, including identifying the most effected or vulnerable populations and potential impacts to those populations;

(4) as part of post-storm surveys and assessments conducted under section 406 of the Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025, conduct retrospective or ex ante assessments of previous hurricane forecasts and warnings with improvements to better understand the key components, including expected actions or behavior changes, of the value of the forecasts and warnings provided;

(5) conduct cost benefit analysis of forecasts and warnings improvement alternatives developed through the hurricane forecast improvement program under section 104; and

(6) conduct risk assessments for pre-, during, and post-storm periods in regions and communities with significant elderly populations, including retirement communities.