Report to Congress: Tornado Warning Improvement and Extension Program Plan

This plan describes the short-term and long-term efforts of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to achieve the Weather Act’s goal of tornado prediction beyond one hour. There are three interconnected science and technology components being developed within NOAA to achieve this goal: improved observations, including conventional and advanced radar technology; high-resolution computer prediction models; and a modern, optimized approach to communicate risk that is informed by social sciences. The plan details the observations and science necessary to develop and support these goals, including data from NOAA’s new geostationary satellites, advanced radar technologies, and detailed sensing of the lowest few thousand feet of the atmosphere. Such observations are integrated into improved, high-resolution models that will be able to accurately predict thunderstorm formation and evolution. The goal is to use social science to develop more effective ways to communicate this detailed information to the public and emergency management community, and to empower society to make protective action decisions and maximize the effectiveness of these forecast improvements. 2019 OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research) Weather Act (Weather Research & Forecasting Innovation Act) Submitted https://doi.org/10.25923/z1v4-z040 Public Domain 1931