Lawmakers on Wednesday used the government’s response to a growing string of weather disasters to debate the future of U.S. weather forecasting — including whether the government should rely more on the private sector.
During a hearing before the House Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on the Environment, Republicans and Democrats alike pointed to growing gaps in the National Weather Service’s ability to provide consistent, timely and accurate forecasts by relying on traditional models whose usefulness is waning as technologies improve.
“We must enhance our modeling capabilities to extend prediction lead times and increase accuracy in rainfall forecasts,” said full committee Chair Brian Babin.
The Texas Republican suggested the Biden administration slow-walked efforts from the first Trump administration to engage private-sector firms in modernizing data collection and forecasting tools in favor of climate change and clean energy programs.
