FORECASTS Tracking Act of 2024

The FORECASTS Tracking Act of 2024 aims to improve weather and climate forecasting by authorizing $50.3 million annually for NOAA to enhance subseasonal-to-seasonal forecasting through advanced modeling, data collection, and multi-model ensemble systems. It creates a new $40 million per year workforce development program to train next-generation researchers and technicians in weather modeling, data assimilation, and emerging technologies like AI. The bill requires NOAA to develop annual workforce plans identifying staffing needs and gaps, and to submit reports to Congress on the program's effectiveness. These changes directly affect NOAA's research divisions, weather forecasting centers, and institutions of higher education that partner with NOAA on workforce development. The legislation focuses on concrete improvements to forecasting technology and workforce capabilities rather than specific policy outcomes.