Smarter Weather Forecasting for Water Management, Farming, and Ranching Act of 2025
Smarter Weather Forecasting for Water Management, Farming, and Ranching Act of 2025
Plain Language Summary
# Smarter Weather Forecasting for Water Management, Farming, and Ranching Act of 2025 **What the Bill Does** This bill would direct NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) to create two pilot projects aimed at improving medium- and long-range weather forecasting—specifically precipitation forecasts that look 2 weeks to 2 years ahead. One pilot would focus on water management challenges in western states, while the other would address forecasting needs for farmers and ranchers across the country. **Who It Affects and Key Details** The bill primarily affects western water managers, farmers, and ranchers who rely on accurate precipitation forecasts for planning. For the western water project, NOAA would focus on improving weather predictions in mountainous regions and forecasting "atmospheric rivers" (large moisture systems that can cause flooding or drought).
The agriculture project would tackle similar forecasting improvements for farming operations nationwide. These pilot projects would help identify better ways to predict water availability and precipitation patterns months in advance—information that's critical for irrigation planning, reservoir management, and crop decisions. **Current Status** The bill is currently in committee, meaning it has been introduced but hasn't yet been voted on by the full Senate. It was sponsored by Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada) in the 119th Congress.
CRS Official Summary
Smarter Weather Forecasting for Water Management, Farming, and Ranching Act of 2025This bill directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish pilot projects to support improved subseasonal to seasonal precipitation forecasting for water management in the western United States and for agriculture nationwide. (Under current law, subseasonal means the time range between two weeks and three months, and seasonal means the time range between three months and two years.)Specifically, NOAA must establish a pilot project to address challenges to improving forecasting and related product development for water management in the western United States. The project must address, among other items, improvements to operational modeling in mountainous regions and to the forecasting of atmospheric rivers. NOAA must also establish a second pilot project to address challenges to improving forecasting and related product development for U.S. agriculture. The project must address, among other items, improvements to operational modeling of warm-season precipitation and to the prediction of certain spring and summer weather patterns. Each pilot project must include activities that engage with and leverage the resources of academic institutions and entities within NOAA, and that achieve measurable objectives for operational forecast improvement. NOAA’s authority with respect to these pilot projects expires five years after the bill’s enactment.
Latest Action
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.