The WING Act of 2025 establishes a program to research and develop solutions for mitigating the impact of physical obstructions on weather radar performance, ensuring accurate weather forecasting.
Randy Feenstra
Representative
IA-4
The "Weather Innovation for the Next Generation Act of 2025" directs the National Weather Service to establish a program researching how obstructions like wind turbines impact weather radar performance. The program will test technologies and develop solutions to mitigate these impacts, focusing on technology-based solutions and collaboration with various entities. It requires annual reports to Congress and a final recommendation on the need for further research. The program is set to conclude by September 30, 2030.
New Bill Directs National Weather Service to Tackle Radar Interference from Wind Turbines and Buildings by 2030
This legislation, the "Weather Innovation for the Next Generation Act of 2025" (WING Act), tasks the National Weather Service (NWS) with establishing a research program focused on figuring out how physical obstructions like wind turbines and buildings mess with weather radar signals. The program, running until September 30, 2030, aims to find and test ways to reduce these impacts, ultimately developing commercially viable solutions. Key terms like "beam blockage" (signal blocked by an object) and "ghost echo" (data errors from nearby obstructions) are defined to clarify the scope.
Finding Signal Through the Noise
The core of the bill is the Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) Program led by the NWS Director. This isn't just an internal NWS project; the Director is instructed to partner with industry, academia, and other government bodies. The goal is multi-faceted: identify and test technologies to lessen obstruction impacts, research specific fixes like advanced signal processing or using dual-polarization radar data to counter wind turbine effects, and ultimately develop solutions ready for the market. The bill prioritizes exploring tech like multifunction phased array radar, integrating commercial radar or private weather tower data to fill gaps, displaying wind farm boundaries for forecasters, and even installing more rain gauges.
Real-World Radar: Forecasts, Funding, and Focus
What does this mean on the ground? Improved radar accuracy could lead to better severe weather warnings and more reliable daily forecasts, impacting everything from flight schedules to construction planning. Tech companies involved in radar and data processing stand to benefit from potential contracts and innovation spurred by the program. However, the research is funded by taxpayers, and the program's structure raises some practical questions. Section 2 mandates partnerships with industry, which, while potentially speeding up innovation, could also introduce bias if research priorities or solutions favor specific commercial interests. Furthermore, while the focus is on tech fixes, potential solutions impacting wind farm operations could raise costs for renewable energy developers. The NWS Director must report annually to Congress on progress and deliver a final recommendation within five years on whether the research needs to continue.