NOAA Weather Radio

With the increase of weather related damage like the tornado's in Florida, Alabama and Georgia the past couple of weeks. I thought it would be a good reminder for anyone who doesn't already have one, to go out and get a NOAA Weather Radio. It could help save your life.


What is a NOAA Weather Radio?
The NOAA Weather Radio is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information from a nearby National Weather Service office . The NWS broadcasts National Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day.

How Do I Listen?

The NOAA Weather Radio operates on the current frequencies:
162.400 MHz
162.425 MHz
162.450 MHz
162.475 MHz
162.500 MHz
162.525 MHz
162.550 MHz

They are located outside of the AM/FM and TV broadcast band. And will need a NOAA weather radio to receive the broadcast. But you can find some AM/FM radios that include the weather band.

What is SAME?

SAME technology: SAME, or Specific Alert Message Encoding allows you to specify the particular area for which you wish to receive alerts. Most warnings and watches broadcast over NOAA Weather Radio are county- or independent city-based (parish-based in Louisiana), although in a few areas of the country the alerts are issued for portions of counties. Since most NWR transmitters are broadcasting for a number of counties, SAME receivers will respond only to alerts issued for the area (or areas) you have selected. This minimizes the number of “false alarms” for events which might be a few counties away from where you live.

What is All Hazards?
NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts National Weather Service (NWS) warnings, watches, forecasts and other non-weather related hazard information 24 /7. During an emergency, the NWS forecasters interrupt routine broadcasts and send a special tone activating local weather radios. Weather radios equipped with a special alarm tone feature sound an alert to give you immediate information about a life-threatening situation.

The NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts warnings and post-event information for all types of hazards: weather (e.g., tornadoes, floods), natural (e.g., earthquakes, forest fires and volcanic activity), technological (e.g., chemical releases, oil spills, nuclear power plant emergencies, etc.), and national emergencies (e.g., terrorist attacks). Working with other Federal agencies and the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Emergency Alert System (EAS), NWR is an all-hazards radio network, making it the most comprehensive weather and emergency information available to the public.


More Info:
NOAA Weather Radio