Hazardous Weather Alerts: NOAA Weather Radios

Federal, State, and Local Officials Stress Importance of NOAA Weather Radios 

Buying a National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather radio could be a wise and affordable investment in a family's safety if severe weather threatens. 

During life-threatening weather conditions, NOAA Weather Radios send out a special alarm tone to signal a watch or warning alerting listeners to take appropriate safety measures. The signal transmits anytime day or night, even if a family is not listening to the broadcast. Early warning is critical because weather can quickly turn deadly. 

NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR) is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from the nearest National Weather Service office. NWR broadcasts official Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day, seven days a week providing comprehensive weather and emergency information. 

In conjunction with federal, state, and local emergency managers and other public officials, NWR also broadcasts warnings and post-event information for all types of hazards - including natural events, such as tornados, hurricanes, or earthquakes; environmental events, such as chemical releases or oil spills; and public safety warnings, such as AMBER alerts. These all-hazards radios are equipped with various features including a choice of voice, siren or tone alert, full alarm clock display, emergency power back-up, seven NOAA channels, and Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) localized reception. With SAME technology, a radio can be programmed to sound an alert for specific counties.