S 324 — Smarter Weather Forecasting for Water Management, Farming, and Ranching Act of 2025

Summary

Smarter Weather Forecasting for Water Management, Farming, and Ranching Act of 2025This bill directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish pilot projects to support improved subseasonal to seasonal precipitation forecasting for water management in the western United States and for agriculture nationwide. (Under current law, subseasonal means the time range between two weeks and three months, and seasonal means the time range between three months and two years.)Specifically, NOAA must establish a pilot project to address challenges to improving forecasting and related product development for water management in the western United States. The project must address, among other items, improvements to operational modeling in mountainous regions and to the forecasting of atmospheric rivers. NOAA must also establish a second pilot project to address challenges to improving forecasting and related product development for U.S. agriculture. The project must address, among other items, improvements to operational modeling of warm-season precipitation and to the prediction of certain spring and summer weather patterns. Each pilot project must include activities that engage with and leverage the resources of academic institutions and entities within NOAA, and that achieve measurable objectives for operational forecast improvement. NOAA’s authority with respect to these pilot projects expires five years after the bill’s enactment.

Bill Text

• Introduced Introduced in Senate Current html January 29, 2025

Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill introduces pilot projects for improved subseasonal to seasonal forecasting in agriculture and water management, along with authorization of appropriations.

• 15 U.S.C. 8521

  (h) Subseasonal to Seasonal Forecasting Pilot Projects.-- (1) Establishment.--The Under Secretary shall establish not fewer than two pilot projects, in accordance with paragraph (2), within the U.S. Weather Research Program of the Oceanic and Atmospheric Research office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to support improved subseasonal to seasonal precipitation forecasts for the following: (A) Water management in the western United States. (B) Agriculture in the United States. (2) Objectives.--In carrying out this subsection, the Under Secretary shall ensure the following: (A) A pilot project under subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) addresses key science challenges to improving forecasts and developing related products for water management in the western United States, including the following: (i) Improving operational model resolution, both horizontal and vertical, to resolve issues associated with mountainous terrain, such as intensity of precipitation and relative fraction of rain versus snow precipitation. (ii) Improving fidelity in the operational modeling of the atmospheric boundary layer in mountainous regions. (iii) Resolving challenges in predicting winter atmospheric circulation and storm tracks, including periods of blocked versus unblocked flow over the eastern North Pacific Ocean and western United States. (iv) Improving the forecast of atmospheric rivers. (v) Improving-- (I) the quality and temporal and spatial resolution of observations of air-sea interactions; (II) operational modeling of air-sea interactions; and (III) operational modeling of the influence of oceans on subseasonal and seasonal forecasting. (B) A pilot project under subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) addresses key science challenges to improving forecasts and developing related products for agriculture in the United States, including the following: (i) Improving the quality and temporal and spatial resolution of observations and accurate operational modeling of the land surface and hydrologic cycle, including soil moisture and flash drought processes. (ii) Improving fidelity in the operational modeling of warm season precipitation processes. (iii) Understanding and predicting large-scale upper-level dynamical flow anomalies that occur in spring and summer. (3) Activities.--A pilot project under this subsection shall include activities that-- (A) best implement recommendations contained in the 2020 report of the National Weather Service, entitled `Subseasonal and Seasonal Forecasting Innovation: Plans for the Twenty-First Century'; (B) achieve measurable objectives for operational forecast improvement; (C) engage with, and leverage the resources of, institutions of higher education (as such term is defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)), or a consortia thereof, and entities within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in existence as of the date of the enactment of this subsection, including Regional Climate Centers and the National Centers for Environmental Information; and (D) are carried out in coordination with the Assistant Administrator for the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and the Director of the National Weather Service. (4) Sunset.--The authority under this subsection shall terminate on the date that is five years after the date of the enactment of this subsection.

  This establishes new pilot projects focused on improving weather forecasting for agriculture and water management.

• 15 U.S.C. 8521

  (j) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be appropriated $45,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029 to carry out the activities under this section.

  This provides funding authorization for the newly established pilot projects.

Action History

1. January 29, 2025

   Introduced in Senate

2. January 29, 2025

   Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Sponsors

• Jacky Rosen · Primary
• Alex Padilla · Cosponsor
• Martin Heinrich · Cosponsor

Subjects