Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026

(a) In general. The Under Secretary shall maintain and improve the system of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration by which the risks of hazardous weather and water events are communicated to the general public, with the goal of informing action and encouraging response to prevent loss of life and property.

(b) Hazard risk communication improvement and simplification

(1) In general. The Under Secretary shall maintain a hazard risk communication program (in this subsection referred to as the program), for the purposes of simplifying and improving the communication of hazardous weather and water event risks.

(2) Terminology. The program shall identify, eliminate, or modify unnecessary, redundant, or confusing terms for hazardous weather and water event communications and add new terminology, as appropriate.

(3) Communications improvement. The program shall improve the form, content, and methods of hazardous weather and water event communications to more clearly inform action and increase the likelihood that the public takes such action to prevent the loss of life or property.

(4) Evaluations. The program shall, in coordination with the performance branch of the National Weather Service, develop metrics for that branch to track and evaluate the degree to which hazardous weather and water event communications inform action and encourage response.

(5) Support plan. The program shall develop a plan for the purpose of supporting the activities described in paragraph (3). The plan shall be periodically updated and informed by internal and extramural research and the results of the evaluation of hazardous weather and water event communications conducted under paragraph (4).

(6) Recommendations. In carrying out this subsection, the program shall develop and implement recommendations that—

(A) are based on the best and most recent understanding from social, behavioral, risk, and communication science research;

(B) are validated by social, behavioral, risk, and communication science, taking into account the importance of methods that support reproduction and replication of scientific studies, use of rigorous statistical analyses, and, as applicable, data analysis supported by artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies;

(C) account for the needs of various demographics and geographic regions;

(D) account for the differences between various types of weather and water hazards;

(E) respond to the needs of Federal, State, and local government partners and media partners;

(F) account for necessary changes in the infrastructure, technology, and protocols for creating and disseminating Federally operated watches and warnings;

(G) account for artificial intelligence capabilities, including models specifically trained on weather terminology, that enable efficient and accurate communication to the public; and

(H) account for the need for enhanced or earlier communication of a hazardous weather event to inform action and encourage response when the event occurs in a geographic area where the event is historically abnormal.

(7) Coordination. The program shall coordinate with—

(A) Federal partners, including National Laboratories, cooperative institutes, and regional integrated sciences and assessments programs;

(B) State and local government partners;

(C) Indian tribes;

(D) institutions of higher education; and

(E) media partners.

(8) Timeliness and consistency. The program shall develop best practices and guidance for ensuring timely and consistent communication across public-facing platforms that disseminate hazardous weather and water event information.