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

This section amends Section 1762 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (15 U.S.C. 8521)—which declares a congressional policy for federal provision of agricultural and silvicultural weather and climate information—by (1) requiring the NOAA Under Secretary to establish at least two pilot projects within the U.S. Weather Research Program of NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research to improve subseasonal to seasonal precipitation forecasts for (A) water management in the western United States—addressing challenges such as model resolution for mountainous terrain, atmospheric boundary layer fidelity, winter circulation and storm tracks, atmospheric rivers, and air-sea interactions—and (B) agriculture in the United States—addressing challenges such as land surface and hydrologic observations and modeling (including soil moisture and flash droughts), warm season precipitation, and upper-level flow anomalies—with activities that implement recommendations from the National Weather Service's 2020 subseasonal and seasonal forecasting report, achieve measurable operational improvements, engage institutions of higher education and NOAA entities (e.g., Regional Climate Centers), and coordinate across NOAA offices, terminating five years after enactment; and (2) authorizing $45 million for each of FY2025 through 2029 to carry out section activities.