Senate passes major bill to improve weather forecasting

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2016/12/02/senate-passes-major-bill-to-improve-weather-forecasting/?utm_term=.95e0e67e9655

The bill, Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2016, H.R. 1561, was approved unanimously in the Senate late Thursday.

The bill’s stated purpose is “to improve the National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration’s weather research” through investments in observations, computing and modeling, as well as to expand commercial opportunities for providing weather data.

It is specifically aimed to support advances in:

• Forecasting dangerous storms, including tornadoes and hurricanes.
• Long-range forecasts for time periods between two weeks and two years
• Forecast communication
• Tsunami warnings

“From long-term forecasting that can prevent costly agricultural losses to more actionable information about severe weather, this legislation will help save lives and reduce avoidable property loss,” said Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chairman John Thune (R-S.D.), who championed the bill.