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Creates a NOAA National Mesonet Program to acquire and integrate dense environmental observations (soil moisture, road sensors, etc.) to improve forecasts and warnings.
Introduced February 13, 2025 by Brian Emanuel Schatz · Last progress February 13, 2025
Creates a National Mesonet Program at NOAA to acquire and integrate dense, diverse environmental observations (prioritizing commercial, academic, and other non‑Federal data) to improve forecasts and warnings for weather, drought, fire, and water events. The program emphasizes soil moisture and roadway surface observations, supports National Weather Service operational forecasting (nowcasts, warnings, hyperlocal forecasts) and a goal of 30‑minute severe‑weather warnings, and must use cost‑effective, quality‑meeting data while leveraging existing networks and coordinating with satellite and other NOAA data sources. The law directs NOAA to provide technical and administrative infrastructure, enter into memoranda of understanding with outside networks, support the National Coordinated Soil Moisture Monitoring Network, and encourage participation by local and regional monitoring networks and in‑situ sensors. It requires NOAA to acquire data only when cost‑effective and to integrate non‑Federal data into operational decision support without specifying new appropriations or exact funding levels.