,i #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #dcjb ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,july #g1 #bjbe,mr4 ,obernolte 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,fong1 and ,mr4 ,whitesides7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology ,a ,,bill ,to accelerate subseasonal to seasonal prediction skills related to precipitation forecasts for water management in the western ,united ,states1 improve atmospheric river forecasts across the country1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,improving ,atmospheric ,river ,forecasts ,act4 #b4 ,subseasonal to seasonal forecasting pilot projects 7a7 ,improving subseasonal and seasonal forecasts ,subsection 7h7 of section #agfb of the ,food ,security ,act of #aihe 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #heba7 is amended to read as follows3 7h7 ,subseasonal to seasonal forecasting pilot projects 7#a7 ,establishment ,the ,under ,secretary shall establish at least one pilot project within the ,u4,s4 ,weather ,research ,program of the ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,research office of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration to support improved subseasonal to seasonal precipitation forecasts for water management in the western ,united ,states4 7#b7 ,objectives ,in carrying out this subsection1 the ,under ,secretary shall ensure that a pilot project under paragraph 7#a7 addresses key science challenges to improving forecasts and developing related products described in subsection 7c7 for water management in the western ,united ,states1 including the following3 7,a7 ,improving model resolution1 both horizontal and vertical1 to resolve issues associated with mountainous terrain1 such as intensity of precipitation and relative fraction of rain versus snow precipitation4 7,b7 ,improving fidelity in modeling of-- 7i7 the atmospheric boundary layer in mountainous regions2 and 7ii7 atmospheric rivers4 7,c7 ,resolving challenges in predicting winter atmospheric circulation and storm tracks1 including periods of blocked versus unblocked flow over the eastern ,north ,pacific ,ocean and western ,united ,states4 7,d7 ,advancing scientific understanding of the roles of atmospheric rivers in subseasonal to seasonal precipitation1 and developing tools to predict periods of active or inactive atmospheric river landfalls and inland penetration over the western ,united ,states4 7#c7 ,activities ,a pilot project under this subsection shall be carried out in coordination with the ,assistant ,administrator for the ,office of ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,research and the ,director of the ,national ,weather ,service and include activities that carry out the following3 7,a7 ,best implement recommendations of the ,national ,weather ,service's #bjai ,report1 entitled ,subseasonal and ,seasonal ,forecasting ,innovation3 ,plans for the ,twenty-,first ,century4 7,b7 ,achieve measurable objectives for operational forecast improvement4 7,c7 ,engage with1 and leverage the resources of1 institutions of higher education 7as such term is defined in section #aja of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja77 with experience in western precipitation science1 as well as entities within the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration in existence as of the date of the enactment of this subsection1 including the ,western ,regional ,climate ,center and the ,national ,centers for ,environmental ,information4 7#d7 ,authorization of appropriations ,from amounts made available to ,operations1 ,research1 and ,facilities at the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration1 there is authorized to be appropriated #ae1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbf through #bjcj to carry out this subsection4 7#e7 ,sunset ,the authority under this subsection shall terminate on the date that is five years after the date of the enactment of this subsection4 4 #c4 ,atmospheric rivers forecast improvement program 7a7 ,in general ,the ,under ,secretary1 in collaboration with the ,united ,states weather industry and academic partners1 shall establish an atmospheric river forecast improvement program 7in this section referred to as the program74 7b7 ,goal ,the goal of the program shall be to reduce the loss of life and property and economic losses from atmospheric rivers through the research1 development1 and extension of accurate1 effective1 and actionable forecasts and warnings1 including by carrying out the following3 7#a7 ,establishing atmospheric river forecast skill metrics that include assessing the benefits of dynamical modeling1 data assimilation1 and machine learning improvements in the probabilistic forecasts of landfall location1 extreme wind and precipitation1 and cascading impacts4 7#b7 ,developing an atmospheric river forecast system within a unified forecast system1 and advancing next-generation coupled modeling systems1 with the capability of providing seasonal to short-range atmospheric river forecasts that include forecast of snow accumulation and other hydrologic components4 7#c7 ,advancing scientific understanding of the roles of atmospheric rivers in subseasonal to seasonal precipitation and probabilistic predictions at subseasonal and seasonal scales4 7#d7 ,developing tools and improved forecast products to predict periods of active or inactive atmospheric river landfalls and inland penetration over the ,united ,states with a focus on addressing stakeholder and public needs related to perceiving1 comprehending1 and responding to atmospheric river forecast improvements4 7#e7 ,enhancing the transition of research to operations through the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration's testbeds1 including the evaluation of physical and social science1 technology1 and other research to develop products and services for implementation and use by relevant stakeholders4 7#f7 ,incorporating into atmospheric river modeling and forecasting1 as appropriate1 social1 behavioral1 risk1 communication1 and economic sciences4 7c7 ,innovative observations1 data assimilation1 and modeling ,the ,under ,secretary shall ensure the program periodically examines1 tests1 and evaluates the value of incorporating innovative observations1 data1 and measurements with respect to the improvement of atmospheric river analysis1 modeling1 forecasts1 predictions1 and warnings4 7d7 ,program plan ,not later than #bgj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,under ,secretary1 in consultation with the ,secretary of the ,air ,force or the ,commander of the #ecrd ,weather ,reconnaissance ,squadron of the ,air ,force ,reserve ,command1 shall develop a plan that details the specific research1 development1 data acquisition1 partnerships with the weather industry and academic partners1 and technology transfer activities1 as well as corresponding resources1 and timelines1 necessary to achieve the goal of the program under subsection 7b74 ,such plan shall be made available to the public on release4 7e7 ,annual budget for plan submittal ,after the development of the plan pursuant to subsection 7d71 the ,under ,secretary shall1 not less frequently than annually1 submit to ,congress a proposed budget corresponding with the activities identified in such plan4 7f7 ,improved modeling ,in carrying out the program1 the ,under ,secretary may carry out the following3 7#a7 ,develop1 test1 and operationalize prototype high-resolution ,atmospheric ,river ,analysis and ,forecasting ,system models through research and operations partnerships with institutions of higher education and other partners outside the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration4 7#b7 ,enhance data assimilation of current and new satellite and ocean observations that is useful for atmospheric river analysis and forecasting predictions4 7#c7 ,improve data processing techniques related to atmospheric river analysis and forecasting predictions4 7#d7 ,use artificial intelligence and machine learning methods as applicable to atmospheric river analysis and forecasting predictions4 7#e7 ,ensure the surface and subsurface observations of the ocean meet the needs of atmospheric river analysis and forecasting predictions on different time scales4 7#f7 ,to the maximum extent practicable1 improve or establish baseline weather monitoring services in areas that have historically experienced1 or are predicted to experience1 atmospheric rivers4 7g7 ,conduct of reconnaissance ,the ,under ,secretary shall acquire and sustain adequate aircraft1 scientific equipment1 and personnel to meet mission requirements of the ,national ,hurricane ,operations ,plan and the ,national ,winter ,seasons ,operation plan1 and to carry out the following3 7#a7 ,ensure atmospheric river air reconnaissance observations are available throughout the expected seasons of tropical cyclones and atmospheric rivers4 7#b7 ,to the maximum extent practicable and in accordance with paragraph 7#d71 ensure data and information collected are made available for research and operations purposes4 7#c7 ,participate in research and operations partnerships that guide flight planning and use research methods to improve and expand the capabilities and effectiveness of atmospheric river reconnaissance over time4 7#d7 ,develop data management strategies to ensure that data and metadata are adequately stewarded1 maintained1 and archived4 7#e7 ,undertake such other additional activities as the ,under ,secretary1 in consultation with the ,secretary of the ,air ,force1 considers appropriate to improve and grow the hurricane hunter and atmospheric river reconnaissance mission4 7h7 ,improved atmospheric river hazard communication ,the ,under ,secretary may conduct research and development activities to carry out the following3 7#a7 ,as appropriate1 develop and refine methods to categorize the intensity of weather and oceans hazards1 including tropical cyclones and atmospheric rivers1 on a quantitative scale and the effectiveness of such scale in hazard communication4 7#b7 ,develop best practices for communication of atmospheric river events and hazards across regions of the ,united ,states4 7#c7 ,gather information from areas prone to hurricanes and atmospheric rivers regarding levels of knowledge and preparedness1 including responses to early forecasts and warnings by the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration4 7#d7 ,explore strategies and effectiveness of communicating that hurricane and atmospheric river events are beneficial at lower intensities versus hazardous at higher intensity4 7i7 ,definitions ,in this section1 the terms seasonal1 subseasonal1 ,under ,secretary1 and weather industry have the meanings given such terms in section #b of the ,weather ,research and ,forecasting ,innovation ,act of #bjag 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #heja74