3: Weather and Water Information

Serve Society’s Needs for Weather and Water Information

Other Information:

Floods, droughts, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, and other severe weather events cause $11 billion in damages each year in the United States. Weather is directly linked to public safety, and nearly one-third of the U.S. economy(~ $3 trillion) is sensitive to weather and climate. With so much at stake, NOAA’s role in understanding, observing, forecasting, and warning of environmental events is expanding. With our partners, we seek to provide decision makers with key observations, analyses, predictions, and warnings for a range of weather and water conditions, including those related to water supply, air quality, and space weather. Businesses are getting more sophisticated about how to use this weather and water information to improve operational efficiencies, to manage environmental resources, and to create a better quality of life. NOAA is strategically positioned to conduct sound, scientific research and provide integrated observations, predictions, and advice for decision makers who manage environmental resources, ranging from fresh water supplies to coastal ecosystems to air quality. Realizing our information and services bridge both weather and climate timescales, we will continue to collect and analyze environmental data and issue forecasts and warnings that help protect life and property, and enhance the U.S. economy. We recognize future needs can be met even better by exploring new concepts and applications, and we will invest in robust weather and water research. We are committed to excellent customer service. To that end, we depend on the U.S. weather enterprise, including our partners in the private sector, academia, and government, who add value to our information and services, and who help disseminate critical environmental information. We will work more closely with existing partners and will develop new partnerships so the public understands and is satisfied with our information. Together, we will expand services to support evolving national needs, including those associated with space weather, freshwater and coastal ecosystems, and air quality prediction.

Objective(s):

1: Warnings and Forecasts

2: Hazard Predictability

3: Partnerships

4: Science and Technology

5: Intergovernmental Coordination

6: Reduce Uncertainty

7: Environmental Literacy

Content