The TORNADO Act would help improve the federal government’s ability to predict and communicate extreme weather events, like tornados, to potentially impacted communities

Tornado warnings and severe weather events have increased over the past several years, including outside of the traditional tornado season

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Roger Wicker (R-MS), reintroduced the bipartisan Tornado Observation Research Notification and Deployment to Operations (TORNADO) Act, which would improve the forecasting of tornadoes and other hazardous weather.

The TORNADO Act would encourage the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to update its methods for predicting and communicating weather alerts to residents.

“We saw the devastation that Hurricane Helene brought to several communities throughout Georgia last year, many of them are still in the throes of the long recovery process. As Georgians continue to be impacted by increasingly severe weather, we must use every tool in our arsenal to protect our communities,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “That is why the TORNADO Act is so important. It will help improve our ability to inform Georgians about how these dangerous weather events are expected to impact them and allow them to better prepare and protect themselves. I’m proud to work with Senator Wicker to introduce this crucial bipartisan legislation.”

“With the quality of modern forecasting systems, we should be delivering faster warnings for severe weather. The TORNADO Act would update alerts and communication systems with the latest best practices and scientific insights. Advanced warnings will ensure Mississippians can better protect their families, homes, and businesses,” Senator Wicker said.

Among other provisions, the TORNADO Act would:

• Require NOAA to prepare and submit an action plan for the national implementation of high-resolution probabilistic guidance for tornado forecasting and prediction.
• Encourage NOAA to evaluate the current tornado rating system and make updates.
• Require NOAA to coordinate with appropriate entities when conducting post-storm assessments to optimize data collection, sharing, and integration.

Since coming to Congress, Senator Warnock has continuously worked to provide and strengthen federal support for communities impacted by extreme weather events, and he has championed legislation to help Georgians defend against the worst consequences of severe weather: the Senator previously introduced the bipartisan Protecting America’s Orchardists and Nursery Tree Growers Act, to help farmers replace trees lost to severe weather with more resilient varieties, as well as the Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act to help survivors of natural disasters access housing assistance.

In addition to Senators Warnock and Wicker the bill was cosigned by Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Chuck Grassley (R-IO), Jerry Moran (R-KA), Tim Sheehy (R-MO), Todd Young (R-IN), and Ted Cruz (R-TX).

The legislation can be viewed HERE.

###