Indy Standard

U.S. Senator Todd Young from Indiana, alongside Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi and a bipartisan group of senators, has reintroduced the Tornado Observation Research Notification and Deployment to Operations (TORNADO) Act. This legislation aims to enhance the forecasting capabilities for tornadoes and other hazardous weather events. The TORNADO Act seeks to encourage the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to modernize its weather prediction and alert communication methods.

"While we can’t prevent storms from occurring, the TORNADO Act will improve severe weather forecasting, notifying the public faster and allowing Hoosiers to find safety more quickly," stated Senator Young. "This bill will better protect communities in Indiana and across the nation when severe weather comes."

The proposed act mandates NOAA to adopt new technologies and procedures for issuing severe weather alerts. These updates are intended to extend warning lead times provided to residents before adverse weather conditions occur.

In addition to Senators Young and Wicker, co-sponsors of this legislation include Senators Gary Peters from Michigan, Cindy Hyde-Smith from Mississippi, Chuck Grassley from Iowa, Jerry Moran from Kansas, Tim Sheehy from Montana, Ted Cruz from Texas, and Raphael Warnock from Georgia.

The legislative text is available for review.