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National Mesonet Authorization Act
12/29/2022, 6:18 PM
Summary of Bill HR 8397
The National Mesonet would consist of a network of weather observation stations strategically located across the country to collect real-time data on temperature, humidity, wind speed, and other meteorological variables. This data would be used by the National Weather Service and other agencies to improve weather forecasting and provide more accurate and timely warnings for severe weather events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and winter storms.
The bill also includes provisions for the funding and maintenance of the National Mesonet, as well as requirements for data sharing and collaboration with other weather observation networks and research institutions. Additionally, the bill calls for the establishment of a National Mesonet Advisory Board to provide guidance and oversight for the network. Overall, the National Mesonet Authorization Act aims to enhance the nation's weather forecasting capabilities and improve public safety by providing more accurate and timely weather information to the public and decision-makers.
Congressional Summary of HR 8397
National Mesonet Authorization Act
This bill provides statutory authority for the National Mesonet Program of the National Weather Service (NWS).
The program shall obtain observations from observing platforms in all geographic environments to improve understanding of and forecast capabilities for atmospheric events, with a prioritization on leveraging available commercial, academic, and other nonfederal weather data to enhance coordination across the private, public, and academic sectors of the U.S. weather enterprise.
The program must carry out specified activities, including improving environmental observations used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the NWS to support baseline forecasts and warnings that protect the nation's citizens, businesses, military, and government agencies and enable such individuals and entities to operate in safe, efficient, and orderly manners.
NOAA shall ensure the program has an active advisory committee of subject matter experts to identify, implement, procure, and track data needed to supplement the program, and recommend improvements, expansions, and acquisitions of available data.
The advisory committee shall establish partnerships with one or more institutions of higher education to identify, evaluate, and recommend potential partnerships, regional or subregional consortia, and collaborative methods that would expand the number of participants and volume of data in the program.
