U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, has introduced bipartisan legislation to establish the Radar Next Program, which will carry out deployment of the nation’s next-generation weather radar system, a news release stated.
“Washingtonians know firsthand how damaging atmospheric rivers and Pacific windstorms can be when weather radar coverage falls short and residents don’t have enough time to prepare,” Cantwell said. “This legislation builds on years of work to close radar gaps and puts us on a path toward faster, more accurate systems for today’s weather threats. By planning now for the replacement of our aging radar network, we can deliver earlier warnings and stronger protection for families across the country.”
The bill is cosponsored by U.S. Sen. Ted Budd, R-North Carolina.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) current Doppler radar network has been in operation since the late 1980s and is approaching the end of its lifespan. The national radar network will need to be completely replaced in the 2030s, and the National Weather Service is still determining the best option for replacing the technology. Failure to plan for and build a next-generation weather radar system will lead to an erosion of warning capability — including more outages, rising maintenance costs, slower detection of dangerous storms, and ultimately reduced protection for lives and property, the release stated.
The Radar Next Program Act:
• Establishes at NOAA the Radar Next Program, which will carry out the planning and deployment of the next-generation weather radar system in the United States.
• Directs NOAA to develop a plan to replace the aging Doppler radar network and implement the replacement plan by the end of fiscal year 2040.
• Requires the development of a phased array radar test, which can scan the atmosphere in under a minute and detect rapid changes in storms that allows for increased warning lead times and fewer false alarms.
• Gives NOAA the authority to contract with third parties to fill data gaps in weather radar coverage by acquiring data, services, and technologies.
Her bill to establish the Radar Next Program is another important next step to Cantwell’s “5-Point Plan” to bolster the United States’ weather readiness, which she outlined in a letter to President Donald Trump in July of last year. In August, she introduced legislation to modernize the nation’s weather communication and radio service as the country faces increasingly powerful floods, fires and hurricanes.
The full bill text is available at https://tinyurl.com/23r22usk.
