172 
‘‘(C) Engage with, and leverage the re-
sources of the following: 
‘‘(i) Institutions of higher education 
(as such term is defined in section 101 of 
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1001)). 
‘‘(ii) A consortia of institutions as de-
scribed under clause (i). 
‘‘(iii) Entities within the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
in existence as of the date of the enact-
ment of this subsection, including Regional 
Climate Centers and the National Centers 
for Environmental Information. 
‘‘(iv) Other Federal agencies, as ap-
propriate. 
‘‘(D) Are carried out in coordination with 
the Assistant Administrator for the Office of 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and the Di-
rector of the National Weather Service. 
‘‘(4) SUNSET.—The authority under this sub-
section shall terminate on the date that is five years 
after the date of the enactment of this subsection.’’; 
and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:31 Jul 16, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00172
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3816.IH
H3816
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
173 
(3) by amending subsection (j) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated $50,300,000 for each 
of fiscal years 2026 through 2030 to carry out the activi-
ties under this section.’’. 
SEC. 502. NATIONAL INTEGRATED DROUGHT INFORMATION 
SYSTEM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3 of the National Inte-
grated Drought Information System Act of 2006 (15 
U.S.C. 313d) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘, through the 
National Weather Service and other appropriate 
weather and climate programs in the National Oce-
anic and Atmospheric Administration,’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by inserting 
‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; and 
(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new subparagraph: 
‘‘(C) incorporates flash drought research 
and tools to enhance timely response;’’; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:31 Jul 16, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00173
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3816.IH
H3816
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
174 
(B) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘im-
provements in seasonal precipitation and tem-
perature, subseasonal precipitation and tem-
perature, and low flow water prediction; and’’ 
and inserting ‘‘support improvements in subsea-
sonal to seasonal precipitation and temperature, 
and low flow water prediction;’’; 
(C) in paragraph (6), by striking the pe-
riod and inserting a semicolon; and 
(D) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraphs: 
‘‘(7) advance and deploy next-generation tech-
nologies related to drought, such as monitoring, pre-
paredness, and forecasting capabilities utilizing arti-
ficial intelligence, machine learning, and cloud tech-
nologies; 
‘‘(8) use observational networks, including the 
National Weather Service cooperative observer pro-
gram and State or regional hydrological monitoring 
projects; 
‘‘(9) refine drought indicators across multiple 
spatial and temporal scales; 
‘‘(10) improve decision-support products; 
‘‘(11) optimize data and resources from across 
the Federal Government; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:31 Jul 16, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00174
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3816.IH
H3816
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
175 
‘‘(12) investigate and address data gaps, includ-
ing snowpack monitoring, space-based or in situ soil 
moisture monitoring, groundwater data, and data re-
lated to rapid intensification events; and 
‘‘(13) engage with, and leverage the resources 
of, entities within the National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Administration in existence as of the date of 
the enactment of the Weather Act Reauthorization 
Act of 2025 to improve coordination of water moni-
toring, forecasting, and management.’’; 
(3) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ 
after the semicolon; 
(B) in paragraph (3), by striking the pe-
riod and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(4) in partnership with the National Mesonet 
Program, establish memoranda of understanding to 
provide coordinated, high-quality data.’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(g) MODELING UPDATE.—Not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this subsection, the 
Under Secretary, acting through the National Integrated 
Drought Information System and the Climate Prediction 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:31 Jul 16, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00175
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3816.IH
H3816
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
176 
Center of the National Weather Service, shall develop a 
plan to incorporate existing drought products of the Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and im-
proved dynamical and statistical forecast modeling tools 
into probabilistic forecasts.’’. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 
4 of the National Integrated Drought Information System 
Act of 2006 (Public Law 109–430; 15 U.S.C. 313d note) 
is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this Act the following: 
‘‘(1) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2026. 
‘‘(2) $15,500,000 for fiscal year 2027. 
‘‘(3) $16,000,000 for fiscal year 2028. 
‘‘(4) $16,500,000 for fiscal year 2029. 
‘‘(5) $17,000,000 for fiscal year 2030.’’. 
SEC. 503. NATIONAL MESONET PROGRAM. 
(a) PROGRAM.—The Under Secretary shall maintain 
the National Mesonet Program (referred to in this section 
as the ‘‘Program’’), which shall carry out the following: 
(1) Obtain observations to improve under-
standing of and forecast capabilities for atmospheric, 
drought, fire, and water events, with a prioritization 
on leveraging available commercial, academic, and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:31 Jul 16, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00176
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3816.IH
H3816
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS