TORNADO Act

The Tornado Observation Research Notification and Deployment to Operations Act, shortened to the Tornado Act, was introduced by U.S. Senator Roger Wicker as well as eight other senators from the 118th United States Congress on April 26, 2023.[1][2][3][4]

TORNADO Act
Great Seal of the United States
Other short titlesTORNADO Act
Long titleTornado Observation Research Notification and Deployment to Operations (TORNADO) Act
Announced inthe 118th United States Congress
Sponsored byRoger Wicker (R‑MS)
Number of co-sponsors8
Codification
Agencies affected
Legislative history
  • Introduced in the Senate by Roger Wicker (R‑MS) on April 26, 2023

The act aims to increase the time from when a tornado warning is issued to when a tornado hits.[3] The legislation aims to do so through forecasting and understanding,[5] or by bettering communication and issuing.[6][7]

Background

This bill was introduced in the aftermath of two violent tornadoes outbreaks in 2023 (March 24–27 and March 31–April 1), which killed 57 people and injured nearly 400 others. One particularly violent tornado struck the town of Rolling Fork, Mississippi, with winds estimated at 195 miles per hour (314 km/h).

The National Weather Service was only able to give a 20-minute warning for the residents of Rolling Fork.[1] Another driving force for the TORNADO Act was the March 5, 2022 Winterset EF4 tornado.[6][8][9][10][11] Some thoughts of replacing the Enhanced Fujita scale were also made due to it being outdated.[8]

Provisions

If the bill is passed, the NOAA would have to update its procedure in predicting and communicating a tornado warning.[7] The bill would require the NOAA to submit an action plan for a high resolution tornado forecasting program,[7][12] better cooperate with entities involving the warnings, and evaluate the Enhanced Fujita scale.[12]

References
  1. "WICKER, COLLEAGUES INTRODUCE TORNADO ACT". Roger Wicker. 26 April 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  2. Roger Wicker; Ted Cruz; John Thune; Chuck Grassley; Cindy Hyde-Smith; Todd Young; Marsha Blackburn; John Boozman; Gary Peters. "A Bill (Tornado Act)". 118th United States Congress. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  3. "TORNADO Act introduced by Wicker, Hyde-Smith and colleagues". The Vicksburg Post. 2023-04-26. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  4. Salers, Caleb (2023-04-26). "Wicker, Hyde-Smith introduce legislation to improve tornado warning systems". SuperTalk Mississippi Media. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  5. Zerigue, Neal (2023-04-28). "What's inside the TORNADO Act? How can it make Arkansas safer?". KARK.com. NBC. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  6. Flynn, Sara (2022-03-15). "Ernst, Grassley work to improve NWS warnings, forecasting through 'TORNADO Act'". Iowa News Now. CBS News. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  7. "Young, Wicker introduce TORNADO Act to improve Severe Weather Forecasting". The Pilot News. Washington D.C. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-07.
  8. Kanost, Taylor (2022-03-15). "Members of Congress want improvements to National Weather Service alert system". We Are Iowa. Des Moines. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  9. Navarro, Adriana (2022-03-21). "Federal lawmakers respond to recent warning delays with 'TORNADO Act'". AccuWeather. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  10. Lenard, Diana (2023-03-22). "Tornado legislation to improve forecasting passes through Senate Committee". The Washington Post. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  11. Gunn, Matt (2022-04-01). "Tornado Act introduced to help improve severe weather forecasting and communication". KTVO. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  12. Box, Terri (2023-05-02). "Senators Young and Wicker reintroduce TORNADO Act | WBIW". Retrieved 2023-05-09.
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