Improving Atmospheric River Forecasts Act
This bill requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish programs that support atmospheric river forecasts.
Specifically, NOAA must establish at least one pilot program to support subseasonal and seasonal precipitation forecasts for water management in the western region of the United States, including improvements with respect to atmospheric river modeling.
NOAA must also establish an atmospheric river forecast improvement program to reduce the loss of life and economic losses from atmospheric rivers. The program must evaluate the value of innovative observation methods, such as uncrewed aircrafts and other emerging technology.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3966 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3966
To accelerate subseasonal to seasonal prediction skills related to
precipitation forecasts for water management in the western United
States, improve atmospheric river forecasts across the country, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 9, 2023
Mr. Mike Garcia of California (for himself and Mr. Obernolte)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Science, Space, and Technology
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To accelerate subseasonal to seasonal prediction skills related to
precipitation forecasts for water management in the western United
States, improve atmospheric river forecasts across the country, and for
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Improving Atmospheric River
Forecasts Act''.
SEC. 2. SUBSEASONAL TO SEASONAL FORECASTING PILOT PROJECTS.
(a) Improving Subseasonal and Seasonal Forecasts.--Subsection (h)
of section 1762 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (15 U.S.C. 8521) is
amended to read as follows:
``(h) Subseasonal to Seasonal Forecasting Pilot Projects.--
``(1) Establishment.--The Under Secretary shall establish
at least one pilot project 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
water management in the western United States.
``(2) Objectives.--In carrying out this subsection, the
Under Secretary shall ensure that a pilot project under
paragraph (1) addresses key science challenges to improving
forecasts and developing related products described in
subsection (c) for water management in the western United
States, including the following:
``(A) Improving 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.
``(B) Improving fidelity in modeling of--
``(i) the atmospheric boundary layer in
mountainous regions; and
``(ii) atmospheric rivers.
``(C) 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.
``(D) Advancing scientific understanding of the
roles of atmospheric rivers in subseasonal to seasonal
precipitation, and developing tools to predict periods
of active or inactive atmospheric river landfalls and
inland penetration over the western United States.
``(3) Activities.--A pilot project under this subsection
shall include activities that carry out the following:
``(A) Best implement recommendations of the
National Weather Service's 2019 Report, 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)) with experience in western
precipitation science, as well as entities within the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in
existence as of the date of the enactment of this
subsection, including the Western Regional Climate
Center and the National Centers for Environmental
Information.
``(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) Authorization of appropriations.--From amounts made
available to Operations, Research, and Facilities at the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there is
authorized to be appropriated $15,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2024 through 2028 to carry out this subsection.
``(5) Sunset.--The authority under this subsection shall
terminate on the date that is five years after the date of the
enactment of this subsection.''
SEC. 3. ATMOSPHERIC RIVERS FORECAST IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Under Secretary, in collaboration with the
United States weather industry and academic partners, shall establish
an atmospheric river forecast improvement program (in this section
referred to as the ``program'').
(b) Goal.--The goal of the program shall be to reduce through the
development and extension of accurate, effective, and actionable
forecasts and warnings the loss of life and economic losses from
atmospheric rivers, including by--
(1) establishing quantitative atmospheric river forecast
skill metrics; and
(2) developing methods to categorize the intensity of
atmospheric rivers.
(c) Innovative Observations and Modeling.--The Under Secretary
shall ensure the program periodically examines, tests, and evaluates
the value of incorporating innovative observations, such as
observations from crewed or uncrewed aircraft, novel airborne and
satellite-based snowpack measurements, ocean buoys data, soil moisture
monitoring systems, reservoir storage data, observations from mesonets,
or other emerging technologies, with respect to the improvement of
atmospheric river forecasts, predictions, and warnings.
(d) Program Plan.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and
Atmospheric Research, in coordination with the Director of the National
Weather Service, shall develop a plan that details the specific
research, development, data acquisition, and technology transfer
activities, as well as corresponding resources and timelines, necessary
to achieve the goals of the program under subsection (b).
(e) Annual Budget for Plan Submittal.--After the development of the
plan pursuant to subsection (d), the Under Secretary, acting through
the Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, and
in coordination with the Director of the National Weather Service,
shall, not less frequently than annually, submit to Congress a proposed
budget corresponding with the activities identified in such plan.
(f) Definitions.--In this section, the terms ``Under Secretary''
and ``weather industry'' have the meanings given such terms in section
2 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15
U.S.C. 8501).
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
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