NOAA Weather Radio All-Hazards

The most important weather safety rule? Know when you are at risk from hazardous weather. Your best source for this information is the National Weather Service, whose mission is to issue official weather watches, warnings, and advisories. For over 130 years, the National Weather Service has been serving and protecting the nations' citizens by monitoring the weather and providing alerts to any dangers.

The most reliable method for getting this information is via the NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts. 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 your area’s official Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Working with the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) Emergency Alert System, NWR is an "All Hazards" radio network, making it your single source for comprehensive weather and emergency information.

Together with Federal, State, and Local Emergency Managers and other public officials, NWR also broadcasts warning and post-event information for all types of hazards – including natural (such as earthquakes or avalanches), environmental (such as chemical releases or oil spills), and public safety (such as AMBER alerts or 911 Telephone outages).

Known as the "Voice of NOAA's National Weather Service," NWR is provided as a public service by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), part of the Department of Commerce. NWR includes more than 1000 transmitters, covering all 50 states, adjacent coastal waters, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the U.S. Pacific Territories.

The broadcasts cannot be heard on a simple AM/FM radio receiver and require a special radio receiver or scanner capable of picking up the signal. There are many receiver options, from handheld portable units that just pick up Weather Radio broadcasts, to desktop and console models which receive Weather Radio as well as other broadcasts. When a hazardous weather watch or warning is broadcast, an alert with a tone will automatically activate most receivers.

NWS staff produce Weather Radio broadcasts, but NWS neither manufactures nor sells receivers. You can buy receivers at many retail outlets such as electronics, department, sporting goods, and boat and marine accessory stores and their catalogs as well as online.

You can learn more about NOAA Weather Radio at www.weather.gov/nwr/.