NOAA Weather Radio (NWR)
All Hazards Information Broadcast Directly to Home or Office
Purchase and use of a NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards receiver can provide an early warning of hazards like natural disasters and environmental emergencies.
The National Weather Service (NWS) is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and operates 985 radio transmitters that form the NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR) network. Each of these radio stations broadcast weather information continuously to your home or place of work. In cooperation with the Federal Communications Commission's Emergency Alert System (EAS), NWS is an "All Hazards" network that provides warning broadcasts for all types of hazards including natural disasters, environmental emergencies, and public safety concerns. A special radio receiver is required to take advantage of the NWS network broadcasts.
NOAA Weather Radio Frequencies - NWR broadcasts can be found on one of seven VHF band frequencies. Channel numbers like WX2 are assigned to help with identification of frequency assignments.
- 162.400 MHz (WX2)
- 162.425 MHz (WX4)
- 162.450 MHz (WX5)
- 162.475 MHz (WX3)
- 162.500 MHz (WX6)
- 162.525 MHz (WX7)
- 162.550 MHz (WX1)
Weather Radio Coverage - Local and marine voice forecasts are broadcast continuously nearly all of the coastal contiguous United States, Great Lakes, Hawaii, and the populated coastal areas of Alaska. Stations in coastal area also broadcast tidal information and real time weather buoy data. Broadcast signals can be received up to 25 miles from shore. NOAA Weather Radio works with the U.S. Coast Guard to provide additional co-located radio transmitters at Coast Guard communication sites in Alaska. Some NWR transmitters only broadcast marine related information and provide forecasts on a quicker schedule than seen in all hazard stations. Marine stations are often inaugurated by local cooperative agreements in maritime communities. Many NWR receivers include the additional capacity to pick up Canadian marine weather forecasts at 161.650 and 161.775 MHz.
Automatic Alerts - There are two ways weather forecasters can alert listeners about severe weather situations or hazard warnings, 1050 Hz tone alerts or Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) alerts.
- 1050 Hz Tone Alerts - A 1050 Hz tone can be broadcast to automatically turn on a NWR receiver that is equipped to utilize this service and is tuned to the correct frequency. Forecasters may not always use this feature for marine weather warnings and the NWS recommends mariners carry a separate NWR receiver to maintain a simultaneous watch of weather and marine related channels.
- Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) Alerts - NWR receivers equipped with this newer technology can automatically receive alerts tailored to their specific geographical location. To work effectively, SAME requires that receivers be accurately programmed with the correct frequency, geographic codes, and event codes. As with the 1050 Hz tone alert system, forecasters have the option to not use this feature for marine related warnings.
The NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards network is an effective way to save lives in the event of a natural or environmental emergency. Early warnings from civil emergency organizations can provide the time needed to respond and reach safety. NWR receivers can be purchased in the price range of $50 to $200. Radio manufacturers are listed at the NOAA website.
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