Weather bill strengthening Tuscaloosa’s flood forecasting role heads to House
Legislation is heading to the House that would strengthen Tuscaloosa’s role in federal flood forecasting and codify a University of Alabama research consortium.
U.S. Senator Katie Britt, R-Alabama, on Thursday celebrated the unanimous Senate passage of legislation to modernize weather forecasting and research.
The Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization, or WEATHER Act, is a package of bills including Britt’s bipartisan Water Research Optimization Act of 2025.
The legislation, which Britt co-led with Senator Peter Welch, D-Vermont, would codify the National Weather Alert Center in Tuscaloosa as the primary hub for coordinating flood forecasting and model development across multiple federal agencies.
The bill would also place the National Weather Service’s 13 River Forecast Centers under the direct supervision of the Office of Water Prediction, and coordinate flood forecasting and model development across multiple agencies.
Britt’s office wrote that by integrating each center’s forecasting operations into a single hub, rather than 13 individual offices, the legislation “promotes a unified approach to flood forecasting and mitigates information silos that impede severe weather warning capabilities.”
“The National Water Center at the University of Alabama is leading the nation in water forecasting, and the work being done in Tuscaloosa helps communities across America prepare for floods, droughts, and severe weather,” Britt said Thursday. “I’m grateful to my colleagues for unanimously passing this commonsense, bipartisan legislation and to Senator Welch for his partnership. I urge the House to take up this bill without delay so we can get it signed into law.”
Britt’s office cited that flooding causes an average of $8 billion in damage annually and claims more lives than any other weather hazard.
“Water-related disasters pose one of the most persistent and costly threats to communities across the United States,” the senator’s office wrote.
Welch, in a Thursday statement, described the bill as an opportunity to promote research and programs that will boost flood resistance across the U.S.
“Investing in hydrology modeling and prediction is crucial to boosting flood resilience across the country, from Vermont to Alabama,” Welch said. “That includes supporting important hydrology research and programs at the University of Vermont that improve hydrologic forecasting, such as the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology.”
“I’m grateful for the support of our Senate colleagues for advancing our bipartisan bill which will strengthen and align current hydrology research at the National Weather Service with vital research at UVM to foster flood resilience and help communities rebuild better after natural disasters,” the senator added. “I urge my colleagues in the House to support this bill and send it to the president’s desk.”
The legislation would additionally codify the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Cooperative Institute for Research in Operations and Hydrology, or CIROH, located at the University of Alabama. CIROH is a national consortium of 28 institutes, including UA and the University of Vermont, that utilizes expertise from industry, government and academia to promote hydrology research, including research investigating hurricane intensity forecasting, storm surge protection and drought and wildfire monitoring.
“The University of Alabama is proud to be a national epicenter for water research,” said Dr. Bryan Boudouris, vice president for research at the University of Alabama. “We look forward to continuing this vital work for years to come and appreciate Senator Britt’s tireless advocacy and support.”
Britt’s office highlighted that UA founded the Alabama Water Institute in 2017. The university also serves as the home of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility, which opened in 2024, and the Global Water Security Center.
“The hydrological research conducted at the University of Alabama is critical to our country’s national security and future,” Britt previously said.
Britt and Welch reintroduced the Water Research Optimization Act in April 2025, and the Senate Commerce Committee unanimously advanced the bill in May 2025.
The WEATHER Act, which includes Britt and Welch’s legislation, will now advance to the U.S. House for consideration.
