WASHINGTON D.C. — U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, addressed the potential role of West Virginia in advancing weather forecasting capabilities during the nomination hearing for Dr. Neil Jacobs as Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere.
Capito began her comments and questions during Friday’s hearing by describing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) facility located in the I-79 Technology Park in Fairmont, as well as the recent allocation of $100 million for the development of artificial intelligence. The discussion quickly shifted to how this investment in AI could enhance forecasting accuracy and response, particularly in light of recent severe weather events in Texas.
“That center received $100 million for the high performance computer called Raya to support NOAA’s widespread adoption of Artificial Intelligence,” Capito said. ” The I-79 Tech Park in Fairmont is a unique asset.”
Capito said she continues to monitor the status of a major disaster declaration request following devastating flooding last month in Ohio and Marion counties. The Father’s Day weekend flooding claimed lives and caused millions of dollars in damage to both infrastructure and private property. The disaster adds to the challenges already facing the state, including ongoing recovery efforts in southern West Virginia related to flooding from Hurricane Helene and heavy rains earlier this year.
“I live in an area that is prone to rapid flooding like we saw in Texas,” Capito told Jacobs. ” But, the tragedy in Texas is unimaginable for many of us.”
Jacobs told Capito that artificial intelligence is drastically changing weather forecasting, allowing analysis to be completed and translated into usable information for the public in a fraction of the time it once took.
“The exciting thing to me is they can do it in a fraction of a second, so what five years ago would take 30 or 40 minutes we can do now in a second or two,” Jacobs said.
Despite the upgrades in forecasting capabilities, Jacobs said the weak link remains in how the information is disseminated to the public. He emphasized that the platforms used to communicate with the public also need to be upgraded to fully realize the value of the new forecasting technologies.
“It turns out it’s really the last mile,” Jacobs said. ” Even if you have a perfect forecast, if you can’t get it to the people it’s totally useless.”
Just like advancements in AI, Jacobs said there are several options that could be pursued if he were to be confirmed as the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere.
“I think there’s an opportunity to modernize NOAA weather radar and potentially also look at some satellite capabilities,” Jacobs said. ” Some CubeSat Based data transmission- that really wasn’t available five years ago.”