Biden-Harris Administration and NOAA Announce Millions for Climate Projections of Extreme Weather

The Biden-Harris administration and NOAA recently announced millions of dollars in federal funding to improve climate forecasts for extreme weather.

The Department of Commerce and NOAA announced $15.3 million in funding for NOAA and outside collaborators to provide transparent climate projection products and equitable services to the public. This work meets increased public and private sector demand for reliable, long-term climate information on extreme weather conditions.

“This investment, made possible thanks to President Biden’s historic Inflation Reduction Act, will develop new information services to help communities better prepare for the impacts of extreme weather and climate disasters caused by climate change – and ensure that families and communities “Stay safe across the country as we continue to mitigate the growing challenges of the climate crisis,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

Many people rely on NOAA for reliable information to make decisions about infrastructure development, energy system deployment, and financial investments, as well as decisions that may have consequences 30 to 50 years in the future. Despite the availability of numerous relevant sources of information, there may be uncertainty as to which information is most appropriate. NOAA, with its diverse scientific expertise and long-standing leadership in providing products and services, is well positioned to meet these information needs and help build the nation's climate resilience.

With this funding, NOAA will support multi-decadal climate projections to provide users with transparent climate information, taking into account a variety of risks such as heavy precipitation, temperature extremes, drought and coastal flooding. This information will help users understand these risks and how they are likely to change in the future.

Researchers will leverage NOAA's existing resources and new cloud-based computing platforms to collaboratively develop and disseminate these climate projections to users, with the goal of creating sustainable, clear, and trustworthy products to help decision-makers plan for future climate conditions .

As part of this effort, researchers will work closely with decision makers, including groups focused on western water resources, heat waves, coastal flooding risks, wildfire risks and extreme wind events, to develop tailored climate information. The American Society of Civil Engineers is a key initial partner in the collaborative development of this capability.

NOAA will improve its ability to transfer climate model data from its research enterprise into user-facing applications. This work will be based on the best available science and research, including results from 13 previously IRA-funded projects, which also aim to improve understanding of how key phenomena in the climate system are changing.

“With this investment, NOAA and our partners are working directly with diverse end-user groups to co-develop climate services tailored to specific needs, such as addressing coastal flooding, extreme heat, wildfires and other climate impacts,” said Jainey K. Bavishi, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Deputy Administrator. “The climate services provided by this research are critical to community resilience across the country.”

The full list of partners for all funded projects can be found on NOAA's Climate Program Office website.