The TORNADO Act would help improve the federal government’s ability to predict and communicate extreme weather events, like tornados, to potentially impacted communities

The TORNADO Act would help improve the federal government’s ability to predict and communicate extreme weather events, like tornados, to potentially impacted communities

The bill’s reintroduction followed a widespread and deadly tornado outbreak that impacted Southern areas of the United States, including Georgia, during an especially active tornado season

ICYMI: Fox 5 ATL – “2023 already an active year for tornadoes in Georgia”

Tornado warnings and severe weather events have continued throughout the year, including outside of the traditional tornado season, in Georgia

Senator Reverend Warnock: “Whether it’s the people in and around Newnan who endured a terrible storm in 2021 or the farmers across South Georgia who are still recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Idalia, as we work to address the climate crisis Georgians all over are experiencing the consequences of weather events that are becoming more and more severe. The TORNADO Act will help improve our ability to inform Georgians about how these dangerous weather events are expected to impact them and allow them to better prepare and protect themselves. I’m proud to work with Senator Wicker to get this bipartisan legislation over the finish line.”

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) joined his U.S. Senate colleagues in unanimously passing bipartisan legislation he cosponsored, the Tornado Observation Research Notification and Deployment to Operations (TORNADO) Act. The legislation requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to update its methods for predicting and communicating weather alerts to residents. This will improve the forecasting and help Georgians better understand how they may be impacted by tornadoes and other hazardous weather.

“Whether it’s the people in and around Newnan who endured a terrible storm in 2021 or the farmers across South Georgia who are still recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Idalia, as we work to address the climate crisis Georgians all over are experiencing the consequences of weather events that are becoming more and more severe,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “The TORNADO Act will help improve our ability to inform Georgians about how these dangerous weather events are expected to impact them and allowthem to better prepare and protect themselves. I’m proud to work with Senator Wicker to get this bipartisan legislation over the finish line.”

Among other provisions, the TORNADO Act would:

Require NOAA to prepare and submit an action plan for the national implementation of high-resolution probabilistic guidance for tornado forecasting and prediction.
Encourage NOAA to evaluate the current tornado rating system and make updates.
Require NOAA to coordinate with appropriate entities when conducting post-storm assessments to optimize data collection, sharing, and integration.

Senator Warnock cosponsored this legislation offered by U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) following the devastating string of tornados that hit several Southern states in March and April of this year. Since coming to Congress, Senator Warnock has continuously worked to provide and strengthen federal support for communities impacted by extreme weather events, and he has championed legislation to help Georgians defend against the worst consequences of severe weather: the Senator previously introduced the bipartisan Protecting America’s Orchardists and Nursery Tree Growers Act, to help farmers replace trees lost to severe weather with more resilient varieties, as well as the Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act to help survivors of natural disasters access housing assistance.

The bipartisan TORNADO Act was also cosponsored by U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Thune (R-SD), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Todd Young (R-IN), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Boozman (R-AK), Gary Peters, (D-MI) and Jerry Moran (R-KS).

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Title and affiliation are provided for identification purposes only. A pastor and social justice advocate, Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock was elected to the United States Senate in 2021 and reelected for a full term in 2022. The Senator serves on the Senate Agriculture, Banking, and Commerce committees, as well as the Senate Aging Committee.