WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) led a bipartisan group of senators in introducing the Tornado Observation Research Notification and Deployment to Operations (TORNADO) Act to improve the forecasting and understanding of tornadoes and other hazardous weather. The legislation would require the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to update its methods for predicting and communicating weather alerts to residents.
On March 31, devastating tornadoes and severe storms left a path of death and destruction in parts of Arkansas, claiming five lives and causing millions of dollars in damage in the communities of Little Rock, Wynne, Jacksonville, North Little Rock and Sherwood.
The TORNADO Act would require NOAA to implement new technology and procedures that could help increase the lead times provided to the public in advance of extreme weather events.
Among other provisions, the bill:
- Requires NOAA to prepare and submit an action plan for the national implementation of high-resolution probabilistic guidance for tornado forecasting and prediction;
- Encourages NOAA to evaluate the current tornado rating system and make updates;
- Directs NOAA to coordinate with appropriate entities when conducting post-storm assessments to optimize data collection, sharing and integration.
