The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that would require the National Weather Service (NWS) to devote a larger portion of its research budget to improving forecasts of tornadoes and hurricanes and increasing warning lead times.

The Senate has assigned H.R. 1561, the “Weather Research and Forecast Innovation Act of 2015″ to its Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Read more about the bill in a news release issued by co-sponsor Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla.).

Fort Wayne’s WANE TV gets a new broadcast meteorologist this week. Hannah Strong replaces Jesse Hawila, who took a job in Kansas City earlier this year.

Strong graduated this spring from Mississippi State University, which is known for its broadcast meteorology program.

The Fort Wayne television market is certainly not huge (it’s ranked at 111 out of 210), but it’s still somewhat unusual for a person fresh out of college to land his or her first job here. Hannah must have some strong (pun unintended) skills for WANE to have chosen her over more experienced candidates!

I encourage my readers, especially my fellow storm spotters, to join me in welcoming Strong to the market. You can follow her on Facebook, on Twitter at @WXStrong and on Instagram at @WeatherStrong.