National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Local Area Stations:


Nationwide Information

 

 

 

 

 Tone Alert Tests

 

A tone alert test is conducted on all area transmitters every Wednesday between 11 am and noon, (but usually right around 11am).   In case of severe weather, the test will be postponed until the next available non-severe weather day (still at 11 am).

 

 FIPS Codes for S.A.M.E. Radios
 


Understanding FIPS codes and Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME)

For toll-free EAS/SAME Information - call
   1-888-NWR SAME

  The Voice of the National Weather Service


We always appreciate your comments regarding NOAA Weather Radio.  If you have trouble understanding something, please take the time to drop us a line.  We will do whatever we can to improve the quality of weather radio broadcasts.

 
 History of NOAA Weather Radio

 

NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts began in the 1950s when the old Weather Bureau started broadcasting aviation weather on two stations. In the 1960s, stations were added for the marine community, and by the late 1970s, the system included more than 300 stations.  Partially driven by the Super Outbreak of April 1974, a January 1975 White House policy statement designated NOAA Weather Radio as the sole government-operated radio system to provide direct warnings into private homes for both natural disasters and nuclear attack.  Now more than 1025 transmitters provide coverage to most of the Nation's population. 

Partnerships between the National Weather Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the FCC, private industry and state and local governments have expanded NOAA Weather Radio into an "all-hazards" network. All-hazards broadcasts air warning information on earthquakes, volcano activity, and other natural and man-made hazardous conditions (such as a HAZMAT spill), and are used for communicating relief information after such disasters.

 
  Related Links

 

Local Weather Radio Fact Sheets

 (each around 115kb pdf )

  Ask our NOAA Weather Radio Focal Point...


Do you still have a question about NOAA Weather Radio?  Please read our Frequently Asked Questions.
If you still have a question, feel free to contact us at w-dvn.webmaster@noaa.gov