The "Protecting Coasts and Cities from Severe Weather Act" aims to significantly enhance the nation's ability to predict and respond to coastal flooding and storm surge events. It mandates the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, in collaboration with the United States weather industry and academic partners, to establish a comprehensive coastal flooding and storm surge forecast improvement program. The primary goal of this program is to reduce the loss of life and property by developing and extending accurate, effective, and actionable forecasts and warnings for these severe weather phenomena.

Key priorities for the program include improving the understanding of the ocean's role in coastal flooding, enhancing the capacity of coastal communities to perceive and respond to forecast information, and incorporating data from in-situ sensors into predictive models. It also focuses on developing probabilistic flood and storm surge estimates to complement worst-case scenarios for long-term planning and improving operational regional models. The Under Secretary must also periodically evaluate innovative observations and modeling techniques, such as novel sensor technologies and machine learning systems, to further refine predictions.

Furthermore, the bill addresses critical weather observation gaps in highly vulnerable areas across the United States. NOAA, in coordination with the National Weather Service and FEMA, will identify under-observed regions and implement activities to increase observations and develop new capabilities, including urban heat island mapping. This effort also involves establishing testbeds for decision-support services for emergency operations centers and advancing forecasting capabilities for these specific regions.

An interagency partnership between NOAA and FEMA will support pilot projects designed to accelerate the coordination and use of localized weather data in infrastructure and emergency management decisions. At least one such pilot project will focus on utilizing mesonet data for local decision-making and developing tools and training for owners and operators of critical infrastructure, such as dams and energy facilities. These comprehensive measures aim to ensure equitable and robust weather observation coverage and emergency information sharing nationwide.