Plain Language Summary
# TORNADO Act Summary **What It Does:** The TORNADO Act would require the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to improve how it communicates weather warnings to the public. The bill would create a new Risk Communication Office to evaluate whether NOAA's current messaging about hurricanes, tornadoes, and winter storms is clear and effective, then recommend ways to simplify the information. It also calls for research into modernizing NOAA's communication systems and a pilot program focused specifically on tornado warnings. **Key Provisions:** The bill includes several specific directives: establishing the Risk Communication Office, launching a research program to update communication technology, creating a pilot program for tornado communications, and developing a strategic plan for the "Warn-on-Forecast System"—an advanced system designed to provide earlier warnings of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes.
The bill also requires NOAA to evaluate its tornado rating system. **Who It Affects & Current Status:** This bill would impact NOAA, emergency management officials, and the general public who receive weather alerts and warnings. It's currently in committee (as of the 119th Congress), meaning it hasn't yet advanced to a full vote in either chamber of Congress. The bill was introduced by Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) and focuses on improving public safety through better emergency communications.
CRS Official Summary
Tornado Observations Research and Notification Assessment for Development of Operations Act or the TORNADO ActThis bill requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to evaluate and improve its communications about hurricanes, tornadoes, winter storms, and other hazardous weather events.Specifically, NOAA must establish a Risk Communication Office to evaluate the effectiveness of NOAA's communications and to identify ways to provide simpler and clearer information to the public about hazardous weather events. NOAA must also (1) establish a research program to modernize its communication systems, and (2) establish a pilot program to implement the research with respect to communications about tornadoes.Additionally, the bill requires NOAA to develop a strategic plan for implementing the Warn-on-Forecast System, which aims to provide more advanced warnings of thunderstorm-related events (e.g., tornadoes). The bill also requires NOAA to evaluate its tornado rating system and to conduct post-storm assessments of significant events.The bill also provides statutory authority for NOAA's Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment (known as VORTEX-USA), a collaborative project between meteorologists and social scientists to study the conditions that contribute to dangerous tornadoes in the Southeast and the best ways to communicate these events to the public.Finally, the Government Accountability Office must report on the National Weather Service's communication technology, particularly with respect to timely notices of hazardous weather events.
Latest Action
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 88.