Stay informed about current weather and hazardous conditions with national weather service radio station broadcasts available on various frequencies throughout the US and Canada.
Long before home computers and the internet were developed, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS) launched NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) in the 1960s and dubbed it the “Voice of NOAA’s National Weather Service.” This nationwide network of radio stations still continually broadcasts weather information from your local NWS Forecast Office (NWSFO) 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Hundreds of FM transmitters cover all 50 states, adjacent coastal waters, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and U.S. Pacific Territories. By regulation, the frequency bands used are outside typical broadcast bands. The transmitters are limited to covering a distance of about 40 miles. Local reception depends on conditions between your location and the transmitter. Large buildings or mountains can degrade or even block the signal. For this reason, each local NWSFO utilizes numerous transmitters with different frequencies. The signal can also reach 25 nautical miles offshore, for coastal locations.
A typical broadcast includes a station identifier; a synopsis of the current weather situation; hourly weather conditions around the region; a radar summary, if precipitation is occurring; a short-term (1-to-6-hour) forecast if weather conditions are predicted to change significantly; a detailed local forecast for the following 48 hours; and an extended seven-day forecast. Climate summaries of recent weather are broadcast twice a day. Special products designed for specific regions are also included, such as marine weather conditions, coastal marine forecasts, beach forecasts, and more. Broadcasts usually run about five minutes and are then repeated. Forecasts are updated several times during the day, more often if conditions are significantly changing.
If a significant or severe weather event is occurring or is forecast to occur shortly, regular programming is reduced, and current weather information is cycled through rapidly. Official warnings for severe thunderstorms (storms capable of producing strong winds or large hail), tornadoes, or flash floods are broadcast immediately upon issuance. Watches, warnings, or advisories for other significant weather events, such as winter storms, river flooding, and extremes of heat or cold, will be included as necessary. Hurricane and tropical storm information from the National Hurricane Center may be included in season. Each local NWSFO is responsible for issuing and broadcasting warnings to a surrounding group of counties, the County Warning Area (CWA).
To access NWR broadcasts, you’ll need a radio receiver capable of receiving one of seven service bands in the 162-megahertz range. Some CB radios, scanners, short-wave radios, and AM/FM radios are capable of picking up these broadcasts. There are also specific NWR receivers that can be purchased at stores that sell electronics or online. Prices start as low as $20 to $30.
Since each NWSFO CWA has multiple transmitters broadcasting on different frequencies, NWR receivers have a selection switch so you can choose the transmission site that gives you the strongest signal. Many weather radios have an alarm or “tone alert” feature. This is an audible signal indicating that a severe weather warning has been issued by your local NWS office. The warning sound will be followed by specifics of the warning regarding the nature of the weather event and where and when it’s expected to occur.
In 1975, a White House policy statement made NWR “the sole government-operated radio system to provide direct warnings into private homes for both natural disasters and nuclear attack.” Thus, included in the NWR warning criteria are warnings for “all hazardous conditions that pose a threat to life and safety, both at a local and national level.” These include natural disasters, such as earthquakes, forest fires, and volcanic activity; technological events, such as chemical releases, oil spills, and nuclear power plant emergencies; and national emergencies, such as terrorist attacks. In addition, local child abduction emergencies are broadcast.
NWR is an “all-hazards radio network, making it the most comprehensive weather and emergency information available to the public.”
A tone alert will go off if a warning is issued for any county in the CWA. Many of the new weather radios are equipped with a “Specific Area Message Encoder” (SAME). This allows you to program your receiver to receive only warnings for your specific local area, rather than warnings from surrounding areas that don’t impact you. The SAME tone alert feature is tested between 10 a.m. and noon each Wednesday, unless severe weather is forecast or occurring.
Besides the actual NWR radio sets, some local NWS offices include the broadcasts on their websites. Also, there’s an NWR app for cellphones. Visit NOAA Weather Radio for more information.
Canadians with the proper receiver can tune into Weatheradio Canada.
For more than 30 years, Ed Brotak taught college students about weather, and he’s helped many pursue careers in meteorology. He lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with his wife, Liz.
Originally published in the July/August 2025 issue of Grit magazine and regularly vetted for accuracy.
