H.R. 3816 — Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2025

This section revises the public safety priority provision to require the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to (1) ensure the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) focuses on providing accurate and timely weather forecasts that protect lives and property and enhance the national economy; (2) through the Director of the National Weather Service, coordinate and implement observational infrastructure, weather forecasting, communications, and impact-based decision support services; and (3) improve operational weather forecasts, products, and services through nimble, flexible, and mobile methods. The section retains the existing research prioritization on improving weather data, modeling, computing, forecasting, and warnings for the protection of life and property and enhancement of the national economy.

This section revises the authorization of appropriations to NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research for weather research and forecasting innovation activities under this title (previously authorized at $136.5 million for FY2019 increasing to $154.2 million for FY2023). It authorizes $163.8 million for FY2026, $165.4 million for FY2027, $167.1 million for FY2028, $168.8 million for FY2029, and $170.4 million for FY2030, with annual allocations as follows: (1) for weather laboratories and cooperative institutes: $91.1 million (FY2026), $92.0 million (FY2027), $92.9 million (FY2028), $93.8 million (FY2029), and $94.8 million (FY2030) (from up to $91.8 million in FY2023); (2) for the United States Weather Research Program: $39.5 million (FY2026), $39.9 million (FY2027), $40.3 million (FY2028), $40.7 million (FY2029), and $41.1 million (FY2030) (replacing prior weather and air chemistry research programs funded up to $42.4 million in FY2023); (3) for tornado, severe storm, and next generation radar research: $21.1 million (FY2026), $21.3 million (FY2027), $21.6 million (FY2028), $21.8 million (FY2029), and $22.0 million (FY2030) (new category); and (4) for the joint technology transfer initiative: $12.1 million (FY2026), $12.2 million (FY2027), $12.4 million (FY2028), $12.5 million (FY2029), and $12.6 million (FY2030) (from $20.0 million annually). (Thus, total authorizations increase overall, but the technology transfer allocation decreases by approximately 37-40%.)

This section revises the tornado warning improvement and extension program (renaming it the Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment–United States of America (VORTEX–USA)), administered by NOAA's Under Secretary in collaboration with the weather industry and academic partners. (As background, the program supports research to develop more accurate, timely tornado forecasts and warnings, including lead times beyond one hour and a transition from warn-on-detection to warn-on-forecast, to reduce loss of life and property damage.) The revised section (1) broadens requirements for evaluating innovative observations to include novel sensors, crewed or uncrewed systems, and hosted instruments on commercial aircraft, vessels, and satellites; (2) directs grant awards for research implementing NOAA's 2019 Tornado Warning Improvement and Extension Program Plan, advancing social and behavioral sciences in coordination with the National Science and Technology Council's Social and Behavioral Sciences Subcommittee, and improving physical sciences, modeling, and tornado-hurricane interactions; (3) prioritizes grants to minority-serving institutions (i.e., part B institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribal Colleges or Universities, and others as defined in the Higher Education Act of 1965); (4) requires coordination with the program under section 403(a) of the Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 to develop probabilistic forecast guidance, incorporate social sciences into modeling, enhance workforce training on radar interpretation, and expand computational resources; (5) directs evaluation and potential updates to the tornado rating system in collaboration with local communities and emergency managers; and (6) requires annual budget submissions to Congress. The section authorizes $11 million annually for FY2026 through FY2030, of which at least $2 million each year must support prioritized grants to minority-serving institutions.

This section revises the Hurricane Forecast Improvement Program (HFIP) to expand it from a project focused on forecasting into a program covering forecasting, predictions, and warnings; updates the goal to reduce loss of life or property related to hurricanes (from loss of life, injury, and economic damage); and revises the four focus areas to include (1) understanding, prediction, and communication of rapid intensity change and path, including probabilistic hazard mapping (from prediction of rapid intensification and track); (2) forecast and impact-based communication of inland flooding, compound flooding, and storm surges, in coordination with a new flooding program (from forecast and communication of storm surges); (3) social, behavioral, risk, communication, and economic sciences to inform responses (from risk communication research for watch/warning products); and (4) innovative observations such as novel sensors, uncrewed systems, and hosted instruments (with added examples). It replaces the prior project plan requirement with new requirements to (1) award grants for research implementing NOAA's 2019 HFIP report strategies, interagency coordination on social/behavioral sciences, and advances in physical sciences, modeling, and hurricane-tornado interactions; (2) develop and operationally transition probabilistic hurricane forecast guidance, incorporate social/behavioral sciences into modeling, and expand computational resources such as cloud computing, in coordination with a new warnings program; and (3) submit annual reports to Congress through 2030 on missed hurricane/winter operations requirements, untasked forecaster requests, workforce shortfalls for data collection, and hurricane technology research/prototypes/transition plans, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense. (As background, HFIP is administered by NOAA's Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere in collaboration with the weather industry and academic partners to support more accurate National Weather Service hurricane products.)

This section revises the Tsunami Warning and Education Act (title VIII of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006, 33 U.S.C. 3201 et seq.) by (1) inserting ", research" into the title heading and short title; (2) expanding the purposes to include improving the timeliness and accuracy of warnings and ensuring data and metadata management, archiving, and availability per specified laws; and (3) revising the tsunami forecasting and warning program (sec. 804). Among other changes to the program, the section (1) requires use of industry and scientific best practices to maintain equipment; (2) incorporates the Global Seismic Network and global navigation satellite system (GNSS) network; (3) mandates data quality and management systems supporting the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 and records management laws; (4) expands the cooperative effort among NOAA, USGS, NASA, and NSF to include GNSS data support, earthquake assessments, integration with USGS Earthquake Early Warning System, and National Earthquake Information Center data; (5) adds graphical warning products, decision support aids, and tsunami-prone inundation map updates; (6) expands the program's geographic scope to the Pacific, Arctic, and Atlantic Oceans (including the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico) for areas posing significant tsunami risks to states and territories; (7) requires evaluation and potential updates to tsunami warning alert levels in collaboration with social scientists, emergency personnel, and high-risk communities; and (8) designates warning centers responsible for Alaska, the continental United States, Hawaii, United States territories, and appropriate international entities. (As background, the program supports NOAA's tsunami detection, forecasting, warnings, education, and mitigation to protect coastal communities.)

This section revises observing system planning requirements for the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere by (1) limiting identification of data gaps to Federal observing capabilities (from all observing capabilities); (2) expanding options to address such gaps to include private sector partnerships or commercial acquisition; (3) requiring comparison of costs, schedules, and cost-benefit analyses for Federal and private sector supplemental options to meet observation data requirements and fill identified gaps; and (4) requiring a report to Congress, not later than one year after enactment of the Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025, analyzing the technical, schedule, cost, and cost-benefit aspects of placing an operational polar-orbiting environmental satellite capability in early morning orbit to support the weather enterprise and the Administration’s mission. (As background, these requirements direct prioritized planning of weather observation data and systems—both Federal and potential private sources—to ensure forecasting capabilities that protect life and property.)

This section revises requirements for Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs)—quantitative assessments by NOAA's Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research of proposed observing systems' value for weather prediction, hurricane forecasting, tornado warnings, severe storms, and extreme precipitation—by (1) requiring assessments of government systems' capabilities and costs in comparison to current or experimental commercial system capabilities (previously, without such comparison); (2) eliminating the examples of polar-orbiting and geostationary satellite systems from major government-owned or -leased operational systems requiring OSSEs prior to acquisition (lifecycle cost over $500 million); (3) striking the requirement for a priority OSSE on Global Navigation Satellite System Radio Occultation data (due within 30 days of April 18, 2017); and (4) redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (d).

This section rescinds prior authorizations of appropriations for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) pilot programs assessing new information technology capabilities ($5 million for FY2019, $10 million for FY2020, and $5 million for each of FY2021-FY2023) and replaces prior reporting requirements with new subsections directing the NOAA Under Secretary to (1) leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning to optimize advanced computing for NOAA missions; (2) expand or establish centers of excellence to promote adoption of artificial intelligence- and machine learning-enabled advanced computing through public-private partnerships, tool development, mission applications, and quantum computing exploration; (3) enter multi-year contracts, per 41 U.S.C. §3903, for high-performance and cloud computing infrastructure; and (4) submit to specified congressional committees, in collaboration with the Secretary of Energy and within two years of enactment, a report evaluating the value of high-resolution probabilistic forecast guidance for hazardous weather or water events, interagency computing collaboration needs, and implementation timelines for advanced models and technologies. The section also requires NOAA to issue publicly, within one year of enactment and with updates every five years through 2035, a 10-year strategic plan on high-performance computing and data management needs—including projected requirements by line office for fisheries, oceanographic, and ecological forecasting; use of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies; workforce needs; and life-cycle facility management—with performance measures and timelines.

This section revises the research and development activities under NOAA's program for improving forecasts of high-impact weather events (15 U.S.C. 8512(b)(5)) by (1) replacing the requirement for quantitative assessment tools to measure the impact and value of data and observing systems (i.e., Observing System Simulation Experiments, Observing System Experiments, and Analyses of Alternatives) with a requirement to develop publicly accessible community weather research modeling systems that meet specified end-user, interoperability, testing, data access, and software requirements (including cloud-based capabilities and supported versions of the unified forecast system for applications such as fire weather, subseasonal-to-seasonal forecasting, hurricanes, and air quality); and (2) adding a requirement to establish a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Data Lake—maintained by NOAA, a commercial partner, or a non-profit entity—that consolidates publicly available, continuously updated numerical weather prediction data and metadata for the Earth Prediction Innovation Center's model testing, subject to applicable restrictions.

This section amends Section 301 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 by— (1) striking subsection (a)(1), which required the NOAA Under Secretary to deploy Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate–1 and –2 (COSMIC) microsatellite constellations in equatorial and polar orbits, integrate the data into weather forecast models with free public access, and submit annual reports to Congress on progress; and redesignating former paragraphs (2) (Integrated Ocean Observing System data integration), (3) (identifying degradation in monitoring capabilities), and (4) (satellite specifications) as paragraphs (1), (2), and (3); (2) replacing subsection (b) with new requirements for the NOAA Under Secretary to (A) maintain a fleet of space-based observation platforms providing operations-focused environmental data to support NOAA's mission of protecting lives and property from extreme weather; (B) implement recommendations from the NOAA Observing Systems Council for an appropriate mix of government, academic, commercial, and international partnerships, including broadened use of the Commercial Data Program under section 302; (C) prioritize development of mission-tailored products and services; and (D) maintain the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) as a long-term archive and access point for NOAA's national and global data and metadata; and (3) in subsection (f)(1), extending the specified date to 2030 (from 2023).

This section revises elements of NOAA's high-impact weather research and forecasting program (i.e., a program to improve understanding and forecasts of severe weather events that endanger life and property) to emphasize uncrewed systems, as follows: (1) expands eligible aerial weather observing systems to include crewed and uncrewed aerial and surface systems (from aerial systems only); and (2) expands additional observation sources to include stationary and mobile commercial observing systems, such as uncrewed aircraft and marine systems, in cooperation with NOAA's Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (from commercial observing systems generally). The section also adds a new subsection directing the Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and the Assistant Administrator for the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, whenever practical, to use uncrewed aerial systems to assess damage and assist recovery after extreme weather or water events and authorizing acquisition of such systems and related training for NOAA regional offices and partners.

This section revises the Interagency Committee for Advancing Weather Services—established to coordinate federal weather research and forecast innovation across agencies including NASA, FAA, NOAA, and NSF—by renaming it the Interagency Council for Advancing Meteorological Services; designating the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and NOAA Under Secretary (serving as Federal Coordinator for Meteorology) as co-chairs (previously, only the Federal Coordinator); and expanding coordination with weather industry stakeholders, academic partners, states, and emergency managers to include mechanisms for non-federal participation. It further (1) specifies eight functions for the council, including prioritizing research needs (e.g., observations, systems, infrastructure), recommending efficiencies, leveraging agency Earth science research, expanding private partnerships, enhancing communication and workforce development; (2) directs a data inventory of meteorological observations, with private sector updates solicited biennially for 10 years and data made available to member agencies; (3) requires administrative support from the Interagency Meteorological Coordination Office and allows reimbursable cost-sharing by member agencies; and (4) mandates annual reports through 2030 identifying federal programs using meteorological data or capabilities, private sector sources, potential advancements, and acquisition barriers. This section deems all prior references to the committee as references to the council.

This section establishes, as a new element of the National Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System (i.e., federal and non-federal assets for national ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes observation, modeling, data management, product development, and research), a ships-of-opportunity pilot program. Under the program, the NOAA Administrator, in coordination with relevant federal agencies, must maintain pilot projects contracting with research or commercial ship operators—subject to relevant regulations and certifications—for data collection via ocean and atmospheric observing instruments on such vessels, including in the Arctic, to supplement the System and improve understanding of coastal and ocean systems and their relationships to human activities. (1) Data acquired must meet the most recent standards and specifications under sec. 302(c) of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017; (2) not later than five years after enactment, the Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation, must submit to Congress a report on requirements for a global network of such instruments for measurement and data transmission; and (3) the program sunsets on the earlier of September 30, 2030, or one year after submission of the report.

This section consolidates reporting requirements applicable to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) by amending the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Authorization Act of 1992. With respect to the 1992 Act, the section (1) strikes section 106(c) (15 U.S.C. 1537), which required the Secretary of Commerce to complete a biennial assessment of NOAA's environmental data and information systems—considering data management, interfaces, standards, and policy-relevant integration—and submit a related 10-year modernization plan to congressional committees; and (2) amends section 108 (15 U.S.C. 8520) by striking paragraph (5) of subsection (a), striking subsection (b), and redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (b). With respect to the 2017 Act, the section (1) strikes subsection (e) of section 102 (15 U.S.C. 8512); (2) replaces section 105 (15 U.S.C. 8515) with a requirement for the NOAA Under Secretary to issue, not later than two years after enactment and every two years thereafter, a research and development plan for numerical weather prediction and forecasting that covers forecasting goals and progress under section 102, research priorities weighted toward National Weather Service missions, collaborations, necessary research identified with partners, ongoing projects, and community modeling advances; (3) amends section 403(d) (15 U.S.C. 8543) to require annual briefings (previously unspecified frequency) to congressional committees on participation in and innovations from the weather enterprise engagement program; and (4) strikes sections 408 through 411 and 414, redesignating sections 412 and 413 as sections 408 and 409.

This section establishes a Precipitation Forecast Improvement Program under Title VI of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017, to be maintained by the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmospheres (i.e., NOAA) in collaboration with the weather industry, other federal agencies, and academic partners. The program aims to provide more accurate, reliable, and timely precipitation forecasts across timescales through a fully coupled Earth system prediction model to reduce losses from precipitation extremes, focusing on (1) improving predictions of extremes from atmospheric rivers and other systems; (2) incorporating innovative observations; (3) enhancing Earth system model predictions; (4) transitioning research to operations via testbeds; (5) integrating social, behavioral, and economic sciences into watch/warning products; and (6) ensuring data management for research and operations. To carry out the program, NOAA must support research-to-operations activities including implementing NOAA's Precipitation Prediction Grand Challenge Strategy, advancing physical/social sciences and modeling/tools/technology, developing probabilistic forecast guidance, enhancing National Weather Service decision support, and expanding computational resources; NOAA must submit an annual proposed budget to Congress. (It also redesignates former section 603 as section 604 and makes conforming changes to the table of contents.)

This section directs the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmospheric Affairs to establish, not later than 180 days after enactment, a Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation Program to ensure continued performance of weather radar capabilities—including those under development—by identifying, evaluating, testing, and developing technologies to improve coverage and mitigate interferences (i.e., disruptions from structures such as wind turbines or buildings that cause ghost echoes). In carrying out the program, the Under Secretary must consult the Interagency Council for Advancing Meteorological Services; partner with private sector, academia, and government entities; prioritize solutions such as phased array radars, commercial radar data, meteorological towers, and rain gauges; and submit annual reports to Congress beginning two years after enactment (with a final recommendation at five years on continuing the program). The program terminates on the earlier of September 30, 2030, or one year after the final recommendation.

This section establishes the Radar Next Program, under which the Under Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the National Weather Service director, must (1) develop performance and coverage requirements for the U.S. weather radar network, including territories; (2) collaborate with the weather enterprise on potential solutions meeting those requirements; and (3) develop a plan to replace the existing Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) system of the National Weather Service. (As background, NEXRAD is the current national network of Doppler radars used for detecting precipitation, wind, and severe weather to support forecasts and warnings.) The replacement plan must estimate quantifiable improvements in performance, coverage, and accuracy; develop a proof-of-concept phased array radar; implement recommendations from a November 2023 NOAA Science Advisory Board report on observing systems; establish a testbed to evaluate commercial radars and provide technical assistance for small gap-filling radars with private and local partners; solicit input from academia, meteorologists, emergency managers, and public safety or utility officials; identify prioritized and expected deployment locations (including sites more than 75 miles from existing NEXRAD stations); and detail expected improvements to weather and water forecasts and warnings. The Under Secretary must fully implement the plan by September 30, 2040. This section further authorizes the Under Secretary to partner or contract with external entities ("Radar-as-a-Service") to fill weather radar data gaps using diverse radars and technologies—considering participants in the testbed, National Mesonet Program, Cooperative Research and Development Agreements, and weather camera systems—and requires periodic updates to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

This section directs the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, in coordination with the Director of the National Weather Service and the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and in consultation with the U.S. weather industry and academic partners, to carry out activities—using existing regional observing systems—to ensure equitable weather observation coverage, impact-based decision-support services, and emergency information sharing in under-observed or highly vulnerable U.S. regions and territories. Such activities include (1) identifying such regions and observation challenges; (2) increasing observations and developing new capabilities, such as urban heat island mapping; (3) establishing or supporting testbeds and deployments of decision-support services and tools for emergency operations centers; (4) advancing weather, water, forecasting, and climate modeling; (5) undertaking workforce development for emergency officials and meteorologists; (6) using data-void-filling observations to resolve extreme rainfall in complex topography; and (7) contributing to a national integrated heat health information system. The section further requires the Under Secretary, acting through the National Weather Service Director and collaborating with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to establish an interagency partnership supporting pilot projects that accelerate coordination and use of localized weather, water, and climate data in infrastructure and emergency management decisions. At least one pilot project must address science challenges in using mesonet data for local decisionmaking and develop new tools and training for owners and operators of critical infrastructure (as defined in 42 U.S.C. 5195c(e)), such as dams, energy generation and distribution facilities, nuclear power plants, and transportation networks.

This section establishes an atmospheric rivers forecast improvement program (AR-FIP) within NOAA, in collaboration with the weather industry and academic partners and in coordination with the precipitation forecast improvement program. The program's goal is to reduce loss of life, property damage, and economic losses from atmospheric rivers (i.e., narrow corridors of concentrated water vapor in the atmosphere that produce extreme precipitation and flooding, primarily affecting the U.S. West Coast) through research, development, and actionable forecasts and warnings. The program requires (1) developing forecast skill metrics, an atmospheric river forecast system, and tools for subseasonal-to-seasonal predictions; (2) enhancing research-to-operations transitions via NOAA testbeds and incorporating social, behavioral, risk, communication, and economic sciences; (3) periodic evaluation of innovative observations, data assimilation, and modeling; (4) a program plan due not later than 270 days after enactment, developed in consultation with the Secretary of the Air Force or Commander of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron and made publicly available; and (5) annual budget submissions to Congress thereafter. In addition, the Under Secretary may (1) develop high-resolution prototype models via partnerships; (2) enhance data assimilation from satellites and ocean observations; (3) improve data processing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning; (4) ensure adequate ocean observations; and (5) establish baseline weather monitoring in atmospheric river-prone areas. The section further directs NOAA to sustain aircraft, equipment, and personnel for reconnaissance missions aligned with the National Hurricane Operations Plan and National Winter Seasons Operations Plan (thus expanding "hurricane hunter" flights to atmospheric rivers), ensure data availability for research and operations, and develop data management strategies. It also authorizes research on improved atmospheric river hazard communication in coordination with another specified program.

This section establishes a coastal flooding and storm surge forecast improvement program to be carried out by the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere (i.e., NOAA) in collaboration with the weather industry and academic partners. The program's goal is to reduce loss of life and property damage from coastal flooding, including high tide flooding, and storm surge through accurate, effective forecasts and warnings. In implementing the program, the Under Secretary must prioritize (1) improving real-time operational prediction of the ocean's role in such events, (2) enhancing capacities to mitigate, adapt to, or prevent impacts including through better community response to forecasts, (3) incorporating data from in situ distributed sensors into models, (4) developing probabilistic estimates to complement worst-case scenarios for use in planning and risk management, (5) establishing skill metrics for coastal inundation forecasting that quantify benefits of modeling and machine learning improvements, and (6) improving operational regional storm surge and wave prediction models. The Under Secretary must also periodically examine innovative observations and modeling techniques (e.g., enhanced model physics, hybrid dynamical-machine learning systems, novel sensors, uncrewed systems) and, not later than 180 days after enactment, submit to Congress a detailed program plan followed by annual budget proposals aligned with the plan.

This section establishes an airborne observation program within NOAA to acquire atmospheric sensor data—including from commercial aircraft and additional vertical profiles—and analyze it for improved aircraft forecasts, with annual budget submissions to Congress and authorization of up to $10 million annually for FY2026 through FY2030 from Commercial Data Program funds. The section further directs the National Weather Service to enhance Aviation Weather Center and Center Weather Service Unit forecasts to include turbulence events, icing conditions, and other aviation phenomena; requires coordination with FAA recommendations via an interagency working group, data gap identification, research transitions to operations, improved probabilistic forecast technology, and updated agreements; and mandates timely dissemination of full-resolution aviation weather data. This section amends the next-generation weather research and development program (15 U.S.C. 8512(b)(3))—which supports research, development, and technology transfer to improve forecasts of high-impact weather events—to add aviation weather phenomena (including atmospheric composition and turbulence) as a new program element (redesignating existing subparagraphs (F) and (G) as (G) and (H)). Finally, this section expresses the sense of Congress on the importance of NOAA aviation weather services to FAA safety functions; requires a minimum five-year interagency agreement for NOAA to provide such services to the FAA; and mandates quarterly briefings on these matters through 2030 to specified congressional committees.

This section directs the Assistant Administrator of the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) to maintain (1) a partnership program to enhance engagement with the private sector, academia, and other federal entities through annual or more frequent broad agency announcements and other contracting mechanisms, in consultation with the NASA Administrator; and (2) a transition program to advance selected technologies, missions, data systems, spacecraft, and instrument designs from research to demonstration phases, prioritizing those that improve NOAA's satellite architecture, align with recommendations from NOAA's 2018 Satellite Observing System Architecture Study ("Building a Plan for NOAA’s 21st Century Satellite Observing System"), and meet current or future mission requirements. (NESDIS manages NOAA's civil environmental satellite systems for weather, climate, and ocean observations.) The section further requires the Assistant Administrator to monitor demonstration progress under the transition program and plan for integration of promising results into NOAA's operational satellite architecture, as well as to submit annual plans through 2030 to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation outlining progress in the partnership program, transition program, and operational planning. The section authorizes $20 million for NESDIS for FY2026 through 2030 to carry out these provisions.

This section directs the Under Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Director of the National Weather Service, to develop by September 30, 2030, a strategy to transition operations of the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS)—the primary software used by National Weather Service offices to integrate weather data and issue forecasts and warnings—to an operational cloud-based environment to enable a more nimble, flexible, and mobile workforce. The section requires the cloud-based AWIPS to provide impact-based decision support services to Federal, State, local, and Tribal emergency managers and to continue delivering services that (1) integrate and display forecast data from meteorological, hydrological, climate, ocean, satellite, and radar sources; (2) acquire and process observational data from sensors and local sources; (3) provide interactive communications among National Weather Service employees and sites; and (4) disseminate weather, water, marine, ecological, climate, aviation, and space warnings and forecasts rapidly and reliably. The transition may include (1) testbeds, pilot projects, and testing; (2) training for users; (3) bandwidth evaluations; (4) circuits for network reliability; (5) a cloud-based data repository; (6) virtualized systems to replace hardware; (7) evaluations of commercial cloud providers; and (8) development of forecast and warning products. The section further requires periodic updates to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and specifies that it does not prohibit new forecast capabilities or modeling advancements on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration systems.

This section authorizes the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to support reanalysis and reforecasting activities within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), including through NOAA weather testbeds, to (1) improve weather forecasts, extreme weather predictions, and weather and climate datasets and (2) serve as training data for artificial intelligence and machine learning models.

This section directs the Director of the National Weather Service (NWS) to (1) annually submit to the Under Secretary and Congress an assessment of hiring milestones, timelines, service level expectations, potential outsourcing, and required staffing at forecasting offices; (2) contract with or partner with an external entity to assess health impacts of rotating shift work on NWS employees, including mitigation options; and (3) establish service level standards based on staffing levels notwithstanding the health assessment. The section further authorizes the Director to designate at least one service coordination hydrologist at each Weather Forecast Office—without increasing full-time equivalent employees or requiring new hires—to enhance impact-based decision support services for hydrology users (e.g., emergency managers, water resource interests) through specified responsibilities such as product evaluation, interagency collaboration, and forecast-informed reservoir operations. Finally, this section requires the Director to conduct pilot projects on transformational decision support services, cloud transitions, on-site emergency support, and probabilistic forecasts—plus a scalability study—with such authority terminating two years after enactment.

This section defines terms related to artificial intelligence (AI) for weather forecasting, including "artificial intelligence weather model" (i.e., a weather model based primarily on AI technology using machine learning and weather forecasting training datasets) and "weather forecasting training dataset" (i.e., a dataset of continuous global observational and synthetic data for Earth system variables relevant to weather, aviation, marine weather, hydrology, and water management). The section directs the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere (NOAA), in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, NASA Administrator, NSF Director, National Center for Atmospheric Research Director, Interagency Council on Advancing Meteorological Services, and other experts, to develop and curate comprehensive weather forecasting training datasets with relevant Earth system data, quality information, and metadata not later than four years after enactment of this Act. To expedite development, the Under Secretary must assess and build upon existing federal Earth system reanalysis datasets to the greatest extent practicable. In addition, the section authorizes the Under Secretary to (1) develop and test a global AI weather model using NOAA data, plus regional and local models; (2) explore AI use to enhance weather information dissemination and public preparedness; (3) evaluate cost functions in machine learning to address inequities in observing system coverage; and (4) develop uncertainty quantification research for probabilistic forecasts. It requires continued NOAA support for observational data collection, Earth system and numerical weather research and modeling, data post-processing, and data assimilation techniques. The section requires a report to specified congressional committees not later than two years after enactment.

This section directs the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere to submit to the specified congressional committees, not later than two years after enactment, a report identifying (1) federal observation capabilities and data gaps related to Earth's atmospheric composition (troposphere and stratosphere); (2) federal efforts advancing understanding of atmospheric changes' effects on Earth's radiation budget; (3) current and projected uses of ground-, space-, maritime-, aerial-, and commercial platforms for atmospheric observations and monitoring; (4) recommendations for adapting or expanding such platforms; and (5) prioritized additional capabilities needed for comprehensive monitoring. It authorizes pilot projects to test atmospheric observational systems on commercial and uncrewed aircraft, uncrewed ocean surface platforms or nondedicated ocean vessels, and in-situ capabilities for regular tropospheric and stratospheric observations, with required consultation and coordination among federal agencies. The section further authorizes the Under Secretary to enter agreements with governmental and nongovernmental entities to purchase commercial atmospheric composition data, host instruments on government or private platforms, and leverage data from international platforms.

This section directs the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere (i.e., NOAA administrator) to conduct a project to improve forecasts of coastal marine fog, with the goal of enhancing vessel safety and reducing the economic impact of such events. The project focuses on (1) increasing marine-based observations through additional federal platforms and commercially acquired data using buoys, meteorological stations, stationary or drifting instruments, vessels, unmanned systems, remote sensing technologies, and advanced algorithms; (2) advancing geographic coverage, resolution, skill, and accuracy of marine fog modeling, including marine channel forecasts; (3) improving communication of NOAA marine fog advisories; (4) communicating risks to maximize public informed decision-making; and (5) providing decision support services based on actionable environmental information. In implementing the project, the Under Secretary must engage public and private stakeholders as well as Indian tribes (as defined in 25 U.S.C. 5304). Not later than one year after the date of enactment, the Under Secretary must develop a project plan detailing specific research, development, technology transfer activities, resources, and timelines.

This section revises section 302 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8532) to establish a Commercial Data Program under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Under Secretary to coordinate acquisition of weather and environmental data and services from private sector entities (e.g., satellite, ground-based, airborne, marine-based, in situ, remote sensing, or crowd-sourced) for operational forecasting and modeling use. The program requires (1) coordination across specified NOAA offices and programs (i.e., National Mesonet Program, Aircraft-Based Observation Program, National Integrated Drought Information System, National Integrated Flood Information System, Global Ocean Monitoring and Observing Program, National Data Buoy Center, Uncrewed Systems Operation Center, Ocean Exploration Program, and others as determined); (2) publication of data standards and specifications within 180 days of enactment and ongoing; (3) prioritization of acquisitions from participants in NOAA's Commercial Data Pilot Program or similar efforts; (4) maintenance of the NOAA Observing Systems Council and Fleet Council—plus an internal committee—for strategic guidance on observing systems, including commercial data, and uniform line office coordination; (5) an ombudsman position to liaise with private providers; and (6) a report to Congress within two years on NOAA-wide data governance and management practices. Additionally, this section authorizes $100 million annually for FY2026 through FY2030 (no prior authorization) and reaffirms the Secretary of Commerce's authority—notwithstanding other law—to enter agreements for purchasing such data/services or hosting weather instruments on co-hosted platforms (e.g., Federal, international, private space, airborne, maritime, or ground). (Thus, it replaces the prior one-time commercial weather data procurement strategy—due 180 days after April 18, 2017—with an ongoing, funded program expanding to environmental data/services across NOAA.)

This section revises section 303 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8533)—previously requiring the NOAA Under Secretary to avoid unnecessary duplication of public and private data sources—by establishing a Commercial Data Pilot Program within the Commercial Data Program (under section 302). The pilot program engages private sector entities through open competition for contracts to test and evaluate observation services, data, imagery, and model components (including surface-, airborne-, space-, coastal-, and ocean-based sources) against standards published under section 302(d), ensuring compatibility with NOAA modeling, forecasting, and situational awareness. The Under Secretary must annually assess pilot contracts and report to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology on contract summaries; compliance with standards; viability, value added, accuracy, quality, timeliness, reliability, usability, IT security, and cost-effectiveness of private data for NOAA integration; and steps for operational integration within one year if viable. If assessments confirm viability, the Under Secretary must (1) acquire cost-effective private data through the Commercial Data Program; (2) evaluate commercial alternatives early in satellite system acquisitions before critical design; (3) assess national interest in government development if commercial options exist; and (4) report determinations to the committees. The section authorizes not less than 15% of section 302 appropriations each fiscal year for the pilot program.

This section authorizes the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to enter into multiyear contracts consistent with 41 U.S.C. §3903 (i.e., contracts for property or services for 2-5 program years) and other federal contracting authorities when acquiring weather and environmental observations and data under the Commercial Data Program (sec. 302 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017). In doing so, the Under Secretary must (1) use year-long or multiyear contracts to foster service resiliency; (2) partner with multiple private providers to reduce data gaps; and (3) leverage innovative transaction authorities (sec. 301). The section further directs NOAA to avoid unnecessary duplication with NASA and other agencies by coordinating activities and requirements; requires a savings clause preserving Department of Defense acquisition authorities (10 U.S.C.); and directs NOAA to ensure other agencies fairly compensate NOAA or private providers for data and services used.

This section establishes new section 305 in Title III of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017, as amended, to direct the NOAA Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere to carry out data assimilation, management, and sharing practices. Specifically, the section requires the Under Secretary to (1) seek to establish consistent open data and metadata standards with the weather enterprise, including cloud-optimized formats and APIs; (2) consolidate NOAA data infrastructure using commercial cloud or hybrid technologies, partner with specified federal agencies for data collocation, and ensure long-term archiving of Commercial Data Program data at the National Centers for Environmental Information; (3) share non-restricted or purchased data with U.S.-person members of the weather enterprise and, if assimilated into models, promptly share model outputs; and (4) establish a data assimilation program, including a consortium of institutions of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965) to advance research, train students, and facilitate research-to-operations transitions in coordination with the Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation, all consistent with federal data security requirements. Additionally, the section directs the Under Secretary to seek an agreement with a non-Federal entity within 90 days of enactment to conduct a study on data management.

This section makes a clerical amendment to the table of contents of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 by striking the items for sections 302 and 303 and inserting new items titled “Sec. 302. Commercial Data Program,” “Sec. 303. Commercial Data Pilot Program,” “Sec. 304. Contracting authority and avoidance of duplication,” and “Sec. 305. Data assimilation, management, and sharing practices.”

This section defines terms used in this title, including "(1) 'hazardous weather or water events' (i.e., severe storms such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and flash floods; winter storms such as freezing rain, sleet, snow, or combined effects with strong winds; and other hazards such as extreme heat or cold, wildfire, drought, dense fog, high winds, and various flooding); (2) 'institution of higher education' (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, 20 U.S.C. 1001); (3) 'NOAA Weather Radio' (i.e., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather Radio All Hazards network); (4) 'public cloud' (i.e., an on-demand information technology model providing computing services over the public internet); and (5) 'watch' and 'warning' (i.e., National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration public alerts for hazardous weather or water events, excluding technical forecasts)."

This section directs the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmospheres to maintain and improve the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) system for communicating risks of hazardous weather and water events to inform action and prevent loss of life and property. The section requires NOAA to maintain a hazard risk communication program to simplify and improve such communications by (1) identifying, eliminating, or modifying unnecessary terminology; (2) enhancing the form, content, and methods of communications; (3) developing metrics, in coordination with the National Weather Service, to evaluate effectiveness in informing action; (4) creating and periodically updating a support plan informed by research and evaluations; and (5) developing science-based recommendations that account for demographics, hazard types, partners, and infrastructure needs. The program must coordinate with federal partners, state and local governments, Indian Tribes (as defined in 25 U.S.C. 5304), institutions of higher education, and media partners; and develop best practices for timely and consistent communication across public platforms.

This section authorizes the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to maintain a hazard communication research and engagement program to (1) modernize development and communication of risk-based, probabilistic hazard information for hazardous weather or water events and (2) improve social, behavioral, economic, risk, and communication sciences related to such events, including through voluntary data collection. In carrying out the program, the Under Secretary must coordinate with states, tribal governments, localities, and emergency managers on research priorities and results. This section further directs the Under Secretary, in coordination with the VORTEX–USA program (15 U.S.C. 8513), to establish a pilot program for tornado hazard communications that tests incorporation of research into operations, collaborating with eligible institutions (i.e., historically Black colleges or universities in areas of persistent poverty subject to frequent severe weather or institutions of higher education near National Weather Service Weather Forecast Offices). This section further directs the Under Secretary, in coordination with the hurricane forecast improvement program (15 U.S.C. 8514), to enter into an agreement for a pilot study on hurricane hazard communications in hurricane-prone areas using surveys, focus groups, and interviews to assess preparedness levels relating to disaster supplies, evacuation decisions, trust in information sources, language access to forecasts and warnings, and evacuation barriers; the Under Secretary must publish the study's methodology online and collaborate with eligible institutions (i.e., those in jurisdictions eligible for the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research or near Weather Forecast Offices). This section further directs the Under Secretary to conduct research and development on public reception, interpretation, response to, and valuation of hurricane forecasts and warnings, including (1) a comprehensive review of decision-making factors (e.g., weather observations, past experiences, demographic variations, language barriers, and geographic differences); (2) identification of communication data gaps; and (3) evaluation, with baseline assessments, of the economic value of extending tropical cyclone and hurricane forecast and warning lead times, including impacts on vulnerable populations.

This section directs the Director of the National Weather Service to replace the NWSChat instant messaging service—used by agency personnel for coordination—with a commercial off-the-shelf communications solution hosted on the public cloud, by not later than October 1, 2027. The solution must accommodate future growth, perform successfully with increased users, be easy to use for most users, and be similar to systems in commercial use.

This section directs the Under Secretary of NOAA to expand coverage of NOAA Weather Radio—a nationwide all-hazards radio network broadcasting continuous weather forecasts, warnings, watches, and emergency information, particularly vital in areas lacking cellular service—and ensure its reliability. To do so, the Under Secretary must (1) maintain support for existing systems serving areas with poor cellular service, (2) provide consistent maintenance and timely repairs to transmitter equipment and antennas, (3) enhance amplification of non-weather emergency messages, and (4) acquire additional transmitters to cover rural and underserved communities, units of the National Park System, and National Recreation Areas. The section further directs the Under Secretary, to the maximum extent practicable, to modernize NOAA Weather Radio by (1) upgrading telecommunications infrastructure to internet protocol-based communications over non-copper media, (2) accelerating software upgrades to the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (or successors) for partial county notifications and alerts, (3) enhancing data accessibility and usability with stakeholder input, including from the private sector, (4) developing continuity options such as satellite backups and commercial partnerships for Weather Forecast Office outages, (5) researching transmission alternatives such as microwave for remote transmitters, and (6) transitioning critical applications to the Integrated Dissemination Program (or successors). In prioritizing modernization, the Under Secretary must follow recommendations from an assessment of NOAA Weather Radio access, to be completed no later than one year after enactment of this Act. The assessment must address continuous real-time broadcasts in urban and rural areas; stakeholder input on third-party platform compatibility; management systems for efficient access; central aggregation of feeds; interagency emergency coordination; electromagnetic pulse and geomagnetic disturbance effects; and other relevant factors.

This section requires the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere to conduct one or more post-storm surveys and assessments following every hazardous weather or water event determined to be of sufficient societal importance. The section directs coordination with federal, state, and local governments, private entities, and institutions of higher education to optimize data collection, sharing, integration, archiving, and access; requires public availability of appropriate data as soon as practicable; and mandates improvements including (1) examining uncrewed aerial and marine systems for data collection, (2) identifying and updating gaps in tactics and procedures, (3) increasing post-storm community impact studies—particularly for underobserved, underserved, or highly vulnerable populations—through individual response surveys, prior risk evaluation reviews, prior mitigation efficacy evaluations, and survivability statistics, and (4) integrating community-based social, behavioral, risk, communication, and economic elements (e.g., forecast/warning efficacy, public action barriers, and messaging challenges). The section further requires employee training, resources, and professional counseling for emotional and mental health support and exempts information collection during these activities from subchapter I of chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code (i.e., Paperwork Reduction Act).

This section directs the Comptroller General of the United States to submit to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, not later than 18 months after enactment, a report examining the National Weather Service's information technology infrastructure for timely public notifications via alerts and updates regarding hazardous weather or water events. The report must include (1) an analysis of the infrastructure's software, hardware, servers, data storage, broadband, data management, and data sharing; (2) identification of secondary and tertiary fail-safes for alert distribution; (3) determination of notification delays and possible improvements; (4) assessment of collaboration with other federal entities, states, or private parties to reduce delays; (5) description of actions to identify vulnerable critical steps in notifications; and (6) geographical differences in rural systems' availability and effectiveness, including estimated affected areas and upgrade barriers.

This section directs the NOAA Under Secretary to (1) collect social, behavioral, and economic data—including on federal communications of hazardous weather or water events and public responses thereto—and, where appropriate, to use secondary data, purchased data, or private-sector partnerships; (2) establish and maintain a central NOAA repository for such data, including data developed under this title; (3) ensure data handling complies with applicable legal requirements, including the Federal Records Act and Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018; (4) develop methods such as digital watermarking to prevent unauthorized tampering with online hazardous weather or water notifications; and (5) establish policies and procedures for collecting, archiving, and managing data on community responses, including those of affected or vulnerable populations.

This section revises subsection (c) to expand the functions of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere—acting through the National Weather Service and other NOAA programs—to include (1) research on subseasonal-to-seasonal predictability of temperature, precipitation, and Earth system variables; (2) data collection for usable, timely foundational forecasts; (3) advancement of multi-model ensemble systems, data assimilation, model exchanges, and data management; (4) leveraging weather enterprise research; (5) operationalizing coupled forecast systems; and (6) providing information on forecast relations to droughts, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, heat waves, winter storms, snowpack, sea ice, and other high-impact events (previously limited to foundational forecasts, disaster impacts, snowpack, sea ice, and an internet clearinghouse). It further adds subsection (h) to establish at least two pilot projects within NOAA's United States Weather Research Program, including one for water management in drought-prone, reservoir-reliant areas and one for agriculture in the central United States, to improve subseasonal-to-seasonal precipitation forecasts by addressing specific challenges (e.g., model resolution in mountains, soil moisture, atmospheric circulation) and implementing report recommendations through collaborations with higher education, NOAA entities, and other agencies.

This section revises the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS)—which integrates key drought indicators (e.g., precipitation, soil moisture) into early warnings, forecasts, and assessments provided to federal, state, local, tribal, private sector, and public users to reduce drought impacts—by (1) eliminating the requirement to implement through the National Weather Service and other NOAA programs; (2) adding functions to incorporate flash drought research and tools, advance next-generation technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud), utilize observational networks, refine indicators, improve decision-support products, optimize federal data, address data gaps (e.g., snowpack, soil moisture, groundwater), and leverage NOAA entities for water coordination; (3) authorizing partnerships with the National Mesonet Program for data-sharing memoranda of understanding; and (4) requiring a plan, due within one year of enactment, to integrate existing NOAA drought products and improved modeling into probabilistic forecasts. This section also authorizes appropriations for NIDIS of $15 million for FY2026, $15.5 million for FY2027, $16 million for FY2028, $16.5 million for FY2029, and $17 million for FY2030.

This section establishes the National Mesonet Program under the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere (NOAA), requiring the program to obtain and integrate commercial, academic, and non-federal environmental observations (i.e., mesonets of surface monitoring stations) to improve forecasts of atmospheric, drought, fire, and water events and to enhance coordination across the weather enterprise. In carrying out the program, the Under Secretary must (1) increase data density for baseline forecasts, nowcasts, warnings, boundary-layer predictions, air-sea interactions, and 30-minute severe weather warnings; (2) monitor local conditions through soil moisture data, drought systems, and road weather networks; and (3) administer the program by acquiring cost-effective data meeting NOAA standards, leveraging existing networks (e.g., supplemental radars, National Data Buoy Center), providing integration infrastructure, and coordinating with NOAA's satellite, ocean, and research programs—including the Commercial Data Program (15 U.S.C. 8532). The section further directs NOAA to award financial and technical assistance using at least 15% of annual appropriations for the program to State, Tribal, private, and academic entities to build, expand, or upgrade mesonet systems, conditioned on data-sharing agreements verified for operational value and cost; such assistance supplements other federal awards and prioritizes underrepresented or remote areas.

This section establishes the National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network within the National Integrated Drought Information System to support the development, deployment, and maintenance of soil moisture monitoring networks. The Under Secretary of Commerce, in collaboration with the Secretary of Agriculture, the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey, the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and other relevant federal agencies, shall manage the Network to carry out the following activities: (1) establishing a visible, user-friendly website; (2) developing criteria for high-quality data sources; (3) supporting research to develop or improve national-scale soil moisture monitoring products; (4) increasing long-term, high-quality in situ and remote sensing monitoring stations across the United States; (5) sharing methodologies and validation protocols with the private sector; (6) engaging the citizen science community; (7) developing, releasing, and promoting nationwide point-based and gridded soil moisture data products; and (8) supporting community building and outreach for soil moisture information users.

This section modifies the establishment, functions, and administration of the National Water Center within the Office of Water Prediction of the National Weather Service by— (1) adding to its purposes leading the transition of Federal water research, including model development, into operations of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Weather Service (NWS); (2) adding functions for the center to serve as NOAA's primary center for research, development, collaboration, and coordination of water research and forecast activities across NOAA and other Federal entities (e.g., Department of Agriculture, Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Geological Survey, Federal Emergency Management Agency) and to integrate and promote consistency among national and regional hydrological forecast operations and service delivery; (3) requiring use of the Weather and Climate Operational Supercomputing System (or successor) to develop and incorporate advanced water resources modeling capabilities into the unified forecast system; (4) striking the requirement for a national operations and services policy directive; (5) redesignating the "total water prediction" provisions as subsection (b) and adding a new subsection (c) directing the NWS Office of Water Prediction Director to supervise administration, management, and operations of NWS River Forecast Centers (coordinating with the National Water Center) and to administer NOAA activities related to the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (or successor entity, coordinating with the National Water Center); and (6) changing the fiscal year reference in subsection (d)(4) to each of FY2026 through 2030 (from FY2024).

This section directs the Secretary of Commerce to brief the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, not later than 180 days after enactment, on Department of Commerce authorities and policies—and federal government-wide policies—related to transferring any portion of Commerce-operated weather satellite systems to other federal departments or agencies. The briefing must include (1) a description of the process for decommissioning an operational Commerce weather satellite, any existing agreements related to transfers of weather satellites (decommissioned or not), and any reimbursable agreements related to transferring physical property or operating Commerce weather satellites on behalf of other agencies; and (2) a summary of any Commerce plans for potential transfers of existing or future weather satellite systems.

This section revises section 603 of the Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 (HABHRCA), which coordinates federal research on harmful algal blooms (HABs) and hypoxia (low-oxygen dead zones) primarily in coastal waters including the Great Lakes, by (1) adding the Department of Energy to the Interagency Task Force; (2) expanding the scope of scientific assessments to marine, estuarine, and freshwater systems (from coastal waters including the Great Lakes); (3) revising assessment elements to address causes, ecological and other consequences, costs including food safety and security, environmental stressors, mitigation alternatives, modeling, forecasting, and monitoring data; and (4) requiring the Task Force to submit to Congress an Action Strategy for HABs not less frequently than once every five years that assesses HABs across marine, estuarine, freshwater, Great Lakes, and migratory systems; examines causes, consequences, stressors, prevention and mitigation methods, and costs/benefits; identifies research priorities and gaps; evaluates Task Force progress; promotes interagency coordination; and includes regional chapters—while directing consultation with states, Indian tribes, local governments, industries (e.g., fisheries, agriculture), academia, and nongovernmental organizations. The section further amends section 603A, governing the National HAB and Hypoxia Program, to (1) incorporate the revised assessments and new Action Strategy as program components; (2) expand eligible cooperative activities to programs and centers for marine, estuarine, and freshwater systems (from ocean and Great Lakes); (3) clarify interagency cooperation under independent missions and authorities; and (4) revise research elements to examine HAB and hypoxia causes, consequences, and costs, including specifying the annual Gulf of Mexico hypoxia zone mapping cruise. (Thus, the amendments broaden HABHRCA's focus to inland freshwater systems amid rising HAB concerns there, such as in lakes and rivers.)

This section amends Section 9(g) of the National Integrated Drought Information System Reauthorization Act of 2018 (33 U.S.C. 4010) concerning federal responses to harmful algal bloom (HAB) and hypoxia events of national significance, as follows: (1) authorizing waiver of nonfederal cost-sharing requirements if no reasonable means exist to meet them; (2) authorizing contracts, cooperative agreements, and grants with states, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, Native Hawaiian organizations, local governments, or other entities to support HAB or hypoxia assessment; (3) expanding declaration requests to include affected Indian tribe leaders, the District of Columbia executive, or executives of affected U.S. territories or possessions; (4) specifying detailed criteria for declarations, including public health risks (e.g., toxin levels, illnesses, closures), economic and subsistence impacts (e.g., fishery losses, cleanup costs), relative magnitude compared to past events, and geographic scope; (5) defining "Indian tribe," "Native Hawaiian organization" (as in 20 U.S.C. 7517, including the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and Office of Hawaiian Affairs), and "tribal organization"; and (6) authorizing $2 million for each of FY2026 through FY2030, to remain available until expended. This section further amends Section 128 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (33 U.S.C. 610 note) to authorize the Army Corps of Engineers to enter agreements with water and irrigation districts in designated focus areas for the use or sale of technologies developed under a HAB removal demonstration program.

This section defines terms for purposes of this title, including “extreme heat” (i.e., heat substantially exceeding local norms in duration, intensity, season length, or frequency); “heat” (i.e., atmospheric parameters affecting human thermoregulation, such as air temperature, humidity, solar exposure, and wind speed); “heat event” (i.e., extreme heat lasting two or more days with potential heat-health implications); “heat-health” (i.e., human health effects from heat or related risks); “planning” (i.e., scenario-based activities across timescales to mitigate heat-health risks); “preparedness” (i.e., activities with decision-support tools to manage heat risks before events); and “Tribal government” (i.e., the recognized governing body of an Indian or Alaska Native tribe identified in the most recent Federal Register list published pursuant to the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131), as required annually on or before January 30).

This section establishes within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration the National Integrated Heat Health Information System Interagency Committee to coordinate a united federal approach to reducing health risks from heat. The Committee consists of the Director of the National Integrated Heat Health Information System and at least one representative from each of 16 specified federal departments and agencies (e.g., NOAA components, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Defense), plus others as appropriate; members select three co-chairs (initially one each from NOAA, Department of Health and Human Services, and Federal Emergency Management Agency), who serve terms of up to five years and convene meetings at least quarterly. The Committee must (1) develop and submit to Congress, and post publicly, a five-year strategic plan within two years of enactment outlining goals for improving federal data collection and sharing on heat-related illnesses, research, user needs, and financing for heat planning; and (2) coordinate agency activities on heat-health communication, research, service delivery, workforce development, and partnerships with non-federal entities.

This section establishes within NOAA the National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) to reduce heat-related impacts by (1) improving delivery of data, information, forecasts, warnings, predictions, and projections related to temperature and extreme heat; (2) developing science-based solutions and tools, through NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, to improve impact-based decision support services for heat impacts to human life, property, and the economy; and (3) supporting a research program on heat health in coordination with the National Integrated Heat Health Information System Interagency Committee. This section requires System data and metadata to be fully and openly available, consistent with the Federal Records Act and the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018, and directs the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to manage, maintain, and steward such data within the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). This section requires designation of at least one warning coordination meteorologist—as described in 15 U.S.C. 8545—at NCEI. (Warning coordination meteorologists liaise with National Weather Service product users, including the public, media, and sectors such as aviation, agriculture, and emergency management, to improve NWS products and services and ensure effective responses to weather events.)

This section authorizes appropriations of $5 million annually to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for FY2026 through FY2030 to carry out sections 703 and 704, including administrative costs for the National Integrated Heat Health Information System Interagency Committee and the National Integrated Heat Health Information System.

This section adds definitions to the NOAA Precipitation Frequency Atlas of the United States program (established under the Flood Level Observation, Operations, and Decision Support Act) for (1) "atmospheric river" (i.e., a transient corridor of strong water vapor producing significant rain or snow that may benefit water supply or cause flooding); (2) "atmospheric river flooding event" (i.e., such an atmospheric river resulting in flooding or hazards of particular concern to human health, property, and the economy, as determined by the Secretary of Commerce); and (3) "extreme precipitation event" (i.e., precipitation exceeding the 5-year annual recurrence interval for a specific location). It further revises the program's coverage requirements to explicitly include precipitation resulting from hurricanes, atmospheric river flooding events, and extreme precipitation events.

This section revises the National Landslide Preparedness Act (NLPA) by (1) adding definitions for atmospheric river, atmospheric river flooding event, and extreme precipitation event (cross-referencing 15 U.S.C. 9707(a)); institution of higher education; Native Hawaiian organization; and Tribal organization; (2) changing the NLPA program purpose from "protect" to "contribute to protecting" life and property from landslide hazards and a program activity from "implement" to "disseminate" information and best practices; (3) requiring the first national strategy after enactment—in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce—to assess risks to life and property from atmospheric river flooding events and extreme precipitation events with respect to landslides; (4) directing the national landslide hazards database to identify areas needing additional risk assessments due to hydrology changes (including erosion or drought), atmospheric river flooding events and extreme precipitation events, geologic activity (e.g., earthquakes or tsunamis), or data-poor areas; (5) expanding community landslide hazard and risk preparedness activities to include Native Hawaiian organizations, Tribal organizations, and other stakeholders; adding a focus on reducing losses from landslides including threats from atmospheric rivers and extreme precipitation events; and broadening references to health, safety, and emergency management for these entities; and (6) expanding debris flow early warning system development and implementation to include Indian tribes, Tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations. (The NLPA directs the U.S. Geological Survey to lead an interagency program reducing losses from landslides, which cause approximately $3.5 billion in annual damages in the United States.)

This section authorizes the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to develop an international basic meteorological observation network in the Arctic region of the Western Hemisphere, including the establishment, operation, and maintenance of observation stations in cooperation with (1) the Department of State and other federal agencies, (2) meteorological services and space-based assets of the United States and foreign countries, (3) the commercial sector, (4) local communities and Indian Tribes in the Arctic region, and (5) persons engaged in air and marine commerce. The section further permits the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Under Secretary, to (1) appoint employees for Arctic meteorological investigations without regard to civil service laws and fix their compensation at base rates not to exceed the maximum scheduled rate for GS-12 and (2) grant extra compensation to employees of other federal agencies for taking and transmitting meteorological observations without regard to anti-bribery restrictions. The section authorizes the Secretaries of the Army, Air Force, and Navy to transfer surplus equipment and supplies to the National Weather Service for Arctic stations without charge to NOAA, subject to presidential approval; states the sense of Congress that observations in polar regions and remote areas are important for weather and environmental monitoring; and repeals Section 1 of the Act of February 12, 1946 (15 U.S.C. 313a).

This section establishes reporting requirements for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Specifically, within 15 days after the President submits the annual budget pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 1105, the NOAA Administrator must submit to specified congressional committees (Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Appropriations; Natural Resources; Science, Space, and Technology of the Senate and House) a prioritized list of unfunded priorities—defined as necessary statutory or mission requirements not funded in the proposed budget—including needs related to weather protection, fisheries management, data stewardship, infrastructure and assets (e.g., facilities, instrumentation, data storage, aircraft, vessels), operational shortfalls, fishery disaster mitigation, and transitioning experimental programs to operations; each priority must include a description, funding estimate, and design/acquisition status if applicable. Within 60 days after the budget submission, the Administrator must submit a future-years capital investment plan that includes the NOAA fleet replacement and modernization plan, aircraft recapitalization plan, and related plans.

This section authorizes the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere (NOAA Administrator) to undertake the following activities: (1) provide technical assistance and services to Pacific Island parties (e.g., Republic of Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia) using existing NOAA programs, offices, and sites in the region and potentially forming a cooperative institute; (2) provide technical assistance, data, and operational products or services to State governments or their partners for voluntary State climate or weather assessments; (3) establish partnerships with international weather services, building on existing agreements, to co-develop and deploy weather and climate observations and instrumentation; and (4) implement mobile applications, modern APIs, or web-based tools to increase access to NOAA data, services, and products, in alignment with the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 note) and OMB Memorandum M-23-22. This section also directs the Under Secretary to brief the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, not later than one year after enactment, on the number and time commitment of intra-agency and interagency meetings attended by each NOAA line office Assistant Administrator and Deputy Administrator.