COEUR d'ALENE - Tornadoes, wildfires, droughts, whiteout blizzards.

The western states can face some dire weather reports.

But state officials are hoping to be better poised for emergency weather situations after Thursday, when western governors signed an agreement with a federal agency to improve the collection and distribution of weather and climate data.

Members of the Western Governors' Association approved a memorandum of understanding with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, under which NOAA will boost its delivery of climate data to ensure states can properly plan for hard-core weather.

States need this information "in real time to prepare for weather extremes," said Gov. Butch Otter at the second day of the Western Governors' Association annual meeting.

Sounds like a glorified weather report?

Tell that to folks who faced natural disasters this spring.

"We had record-breaking tornadoes, droughts and wildfires," said Dr. Jane Lubchenco, NOAA administrator, speaking at the WGA meeting in The Coeur d'Alene Resort. "The total damage and economic impacts just this spring are more than $20 billion."

NOAA can forecast far in advance when such home-ravaging phenomenon are likely to occur, she added.

That's why under the MOU, the agency will improve its collection and distribution of such information to the western states and the U.S. Pacific islands, so these areas can keep an eye on pending natural hazards.

"This information has proven extremely important this year," Lubchenco said.

The agreement, which is also open to other federal agencies' collaboration, places priority on disaster risk reduction and better climate data for coastal areas.

Otter pointed out that weather data is crucial for decision making in myriad industries.

The information will be disseminated not just to the states, he added, but also "businesses, farmers and other resource managers in the West."

Lubchenco said NOAA can predict long-term climate trends up to months and years in advance, thanks to satellite technology.

NOAA has coordinated with the WGA in the past, she added, by providing drought information.

"That success has led us to believe there are other productive ways to partner together," she said.

Gary Herbert, governor of Utah, said the information will be crucial for protecting taxpayers' resources during weather emergencies.

"I think all of us understand how important it is to predict the future," he said.

One hiccup to the plan: The window might be closing on the data collection.

Congress hasn't funded new satellite equipment that NOAA will require in upcoming years, Lubchenco said, which will cripple the agency's prediction abilities by 2016.

"We won't be able to do those kinds of forecasts anywhere near the caliber we do today," she said. "We'll be going back in time to where we were about 20 years ago."

Otter said the WGA lacked the time and quorum to take a position on that issue this week, but the state officials will be looking into it further.

At Thursday's meeting, WGA members also voted Wash. Gov. Christine Gregoire as the new chairman, and Herbert vice chairman.

The governors also approved several policy resolutions, including measures to support funding for the National Guard Youth Challenge Program, and to commit that no interim nuclear waste storage will be located in a western state.

Thursday was the last day of WGA meeting events. Friday is scheduled as a travel day for governors and representatives of the 19 member states and three territories.

Otter, the outgoing chairman, praised the MOU with NOAA at Thursday's meeting.

"We will work with other federal, local and private sector groups to share information on the weather," he said.