As Communities Face Increasing Weather Threats, Cantwell Introduces Bill to Deploy Nation’s Next Generation Weather Radar

As Communities Face Increasing Weather Threats, Cantwell Introduces Bill to Deploy Nation's Next Generation Weather Radar

Legislation builds on Cantwell's 18-year push to fill gaps in our radar network; in 2011, she secured a new Doppler radar system in Western WA to help forecasters better predict large storms

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, introduced bipartisan legislation to establish the Radar Next Program which will carry out deployment of the nation's next generation weather radar system.

"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," said Sen. Cantwell. "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. Senator Ted Budd (R-NC).

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 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, six times faster than current Doppler radars, detecting 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.

Sen. Cantwell was the driving force in drawing attention to a radar coverage gap along Washington state's Pacific coastline - "a gaping blind spot," she said at the time -making it difficult for National Weather Service forecasters to predict large, dangerous storms.

Sen. Cantwell then went to work to fix the gap.

• In the fiscal year 2008 omnibus appropriations bill, she secured funds for NOAA to complete a study, released in May 2009, which demonstrated gaps in Washington state's weather radar coverage.
• In the 2009 omnibus appropriations bill, she secured full funding for a coastal Doppler radar in Washington state through a $2 million down payment, and $7 million in the 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act.
• The coastal Doppler radar positioned west of the Olympic Mountains went online in 2011, a year ahead of schedule.

Sen. Cantwell continues to insist on deploying the best technology to help our weather forecasters. Last year, Senator Cantwell called out the Administration's decision to cancel its plan to launch a large-scale test of a new advanced weather radar technology, called Phased Array Radar.

Her bill to establish the Radar Next Program is another important next step to Sen. 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 HERE.