PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 629.
Congressional Research Service
Version 25 · Reported to Senate · Dec 12, 2022
Tornado Observations Research and Notification Assessment for Development of Operations Act or the TORNADO Act
This bill establishes programs and activities to improve the forecasting of hazardous weather and water events, including tornadoes.
The bill directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to maintain and improve the system by which the risks of hazardous weather and water events are communicated to the general public, with the goal of informing action and encouraging response to prevent loss of life and property.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
NOAA shall also
maintain a hazard risk communication office;
establish or maintain a research program to modernize the creation and communication of risk-based, statistically reliable, probabilistic hazard information to inform effective responses to hazardous weather and water events;
establish a pilot program for tornado hazard communication to test the effectiveness of the implementation of the research conducted pursuant to this bill;
submit to Congress a strategic plan for developing and prioritizing the implementation of high-resolution probabilistic forecast guidance for hazardous weather and water events using a next-generation weather forecast and warning framework;
perform one or more post-storm surveys and assessments following each hazardous weather or water event that is of sufficient societal importance;
update, if necessary, the system for rating tornado severity; and
maintain the Vortex USA tornado research program.
The Government Accountability Office shall submit a report that examines the information technology infrastructure of the National Weather Service.
People & committees
Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS] · R–MS
Legislative record
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Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 629.
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cantwell with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cantwell with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
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No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Sep 8, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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