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April 20, 2017; 7:47 AM

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AccuWeather Applauds Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017

Bi-partisan bill supports improved weather warning, strengthening weather forecasting, and improved government cooperation with the research community and America's Weather Industry.

AccuWeather Global Weather Center - April 20, 2017 - AccuWeather, the global leader in weather information and digital media, applauds the passing of H.R. 353 - Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017, and the signing of the bill into law by President Trump.

AccuWeather has been a strong proponent of the bill and its predecessors over the past four years. AccuWeather CEO Barry Lee Myers has testified in support of the proposed legislation three separate times since 2013. Myers has been widely quoted as stating, "H.R. 353 will serve as a blueprint for the next NOAA Administrator."

Congress.gov summarizes the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 as authorizing "a number of programs to enhance weather forecasting and alerts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research must conduct a program to improve forecasting of weather events and their effects, with a special focus on high impact weather events....The bill provides for technology transfers between the National Weather Service and private sector weather companies and universities to improve forecasting."

"H.R. 353 is a significant accomplishment and milestone that ensures continued innovation and advancements in warnings - especially tornado and hurricane warnings," Myers said. "It will foster greater collaboration of NOAA and the National Weather Service with America's Weather Industry and the research community, making the best forecasts available to better inform the public and save more lives."

The bill includes provisions to improve tornado warnings, protect the Hurricane Forecast Improvement Program, develop a formal plan for weather research, develop an annual report on the state of weather models, continue development of sub-seasonal forecasts, continue development of seasonal and interannual forecasts, consider options for commercially provided weather satellite data over launching government satellites, and more.

About Barry Lee Myers

Barry Lee Myers has been an integral part and leading force of AccuWeather's executive management team for several decades. Since Myers became CEO in September 2007, the company has posted the highest grossing years, and the largest global web and mobile audience growth, in its history.

AccuWeather, with global headquarters in State College, Pa., now reaches more than 1.5 billion people worldwide and is growing rapidly through smartphones, tablets, wired and mobile Internet sites, radio, television, newspapers and the new AccuWeather Network cable channel, in addition to serving over 240 of the Fortune 500 companies and thousands of other businesses.

As CEO, Myers directs AccuWeather's strategic initiatives and develops many of its acquisitions, major business relationships, and groundbreaking opportunities. He was previously the company's Executive Vice President and General Counsel. In addition, he served on the Graduate School faculty at The Pennsylvania State University for 18 years as a member of its nationally recognized Smeal College of Business.

Myers has been a member of the Board of Directors of the American Weather and Climate Industry Association, the weather industry's trade association, since 1990, serving as the industry's Chief Government Relations officer. He has served as advisor to the Director of the U.S. National Weather Service at the U.N.'s World Meteorological Organization Meetings in Geneva on several occasions and is currently advisor to U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). He has also been an invited speaker at the World Meteorological Organization, the World Federation of Scientists, and many science and business organizations worldwide.

Myers is a Professional Member of the American Meteorological Society (AMS). In 2016, the AMS recognized Myers as an AMS Fellow; In 2015, the AMS presented Myers with its Kenneth C. Spengler Award in recognition of his "outstanding, highly principled leadership of the American weather industry over five decades and fostering strong cooperation between private sector and government weather services." He has been a featured speaker at many mobile, television, and advertising conferences.

Myers received his B.S. in business administration and economics and his master's in business (ABD) from the Smeal School of Business at The Pennsylvania State University. He holds a J.D. from the Boston University School of Law.

About AccuWeather, Inc.

Over 1.5 billion people worldwide rely on AccuWeather to help them plan their lives, protect their businesses, and get more from their day. AccuWeather provides hour-by-hour and minute-by-minute forecasts with Superior Accuracy™ with customized content and engaging video presentations available through smart phones, tablets, free wired and mobile Internet sites via AccuWeather.com, award winning AccuWeather apps, connected TVs, wearables, smart homes, and connected cars, as well as radio, television, newspapers, and the AccuWeather Network cable channel. Established in 1962 by Founder, Chairman and President Dr. Joel N. Myers - a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society who was recognized as one of the top entrepreneurs in American history by Entrepreneur Magazine's Encyclopedia of Entrepreneurs book - AccuWeather also delivers a wide range of highly-customized enterprise solutions to media, business, government, and institutions, as well as weather news, content, and video for more than 180,000 third-party websites. AccuWeather's CEO, Barry Lee Myers, is an award winning leader in global weather information issues and one of the world's most recognized advocates for cooperative relationships between government weather agencies and the weather industry. He is a leader in the digital weather information space.