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

III Commercial Weather and Environmental Observations

IV Communicating Weather to the Public

Sec. 406. Post-storm surveys and assessments

(a) In general. The Under Secretary shall continue to perform one or more post-storm surveys and assessments following every hazardous weather or water event determined by the Under Secretary to be of sufficient societal importance to warrant a post-event survey and assessment.

(b) Coordination. The Under Secretary shall coordinate with Federal, State, local and Tribal governments, private entities, and relevant institutions of higher education (or a consortia thereof) when conducting post-storm surveys and assessments under this section to optimize data collection, sharing, integration, archiving, and access, as appropriate for research needs.

(c) Data availability. The Under Secretary shall make the appropriate data obtained from each post-storm survey and assessment conducted under this section available to the public as soon as practicable after conducting each such survey and assessment.

(d) Improvement. In carrying out this section, the Under Secretary shall—

(1) examine the role of uncrewed aerial and marine systems in data collection during post-storm surveys and assessments conducted under this section;

(2) identify gaps in and update tactics and procedures to enhance the efficiency and reliability of data obtained from post-storm surveys and assessments;

(3) to the maximum extent practicable, increase the number of post-storm community impact studies, particularly among under-observed, underserved, or highly vulnerable populations, including—

(A) surveying-individual responses;

(B) conducting review of the accuracy of prior risk evaluations;

(C) evaluating the efficacy of prior mitigation activity; and

(D) gathering survivability statistics; and

(4) as appropriate, integrate community-based, social, behavioral, risk, communication, and economic sciences elements into existing post-storm surveys and assessments, including relating to efficacy of forecast and warning information, barriers to action, and messaging challenges.

(e) Support for employees. The Under Secretary shall provide training, resources, and access to professional counseling to support the emotional and mental health and well-being of employees conducting post-storm surveys and assessments under this section.

(f) Exemption. Subchapter I of chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code, shall not apply to the collection of information during the conduct of a survey or assessment authorized under subsection (a).

V Improving Weather Information for Agriculture and Water Management