Curtis Bill to Improve Wildfire and Flood Forecasting Passes Senate

WASHINGTON —U.S. Senator John Curtis (R-UT), member of the Senate Commerce Committee, welcomed unanimous Senate passage of the bipartisan Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act (Weather Act) , legislation he cosponsored to improve weather forecasting and emergency warnings. The bill would help Utah communities prepare for wildfires, flash floods, and drought while providing better long-range forecasts for farmers, ranchers, and water managers. “Over the course of this year’s fire season, Utah communities have faced extreme wildfires that have led to catastrophic flooding. I’ve seen the damage these floods have caused to homes and livelihoods firsthand, and it is devastating,” said Senator Curtis . “I applaud the passage of this bipartisan bill and thank my colleagues for their hard work. It will help support our rural communities facing increasingly powerful fires and floods by modernizing weather communication and radio services, and I hope to see it signed into law soon.” Background: The Weather Act would modernize NOAA’s weather radar and radio systems, address radar coverage gaps, and improve forecasts and warnings for severe weather. It would also strengthen weather outlooks weeks to months in advance, helping agricultural producers and water managers plan for changing conditions. Specifically, the legislation would: Reauthorize multiple weather forecasting programs while advancing next-generation forecasting technologies and improving research-to-operations transition efforts; Improve forecasting for flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts, landslides, wildfires, and atmospheric rivers; Enhance public communication of weather risks—including through NOAA weather radio—to ensure warnings are clear, timely, and actionable; Modernize NOAA’s aging radar network through planning and deployment of next-generation weather radar and targeted efforts to close radar coverage gaps, including gaps in flash-flood-prone and under-observed regions; Improve coastal marine fog forecasting where dense fog can disrupt shipping and maritime commerce; and Advance long-range weather forecasting to support farmers, ranchers, and water managers by improving weather outlooks weeks to months in advance. The bill was introduced by Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and is additionally cosponsored by Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Ted Budd (R-NC), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and John Hickenlooper (D-CO). The full bill text is available here .