Guide
Do you need a NOAA weather radio?
Short answer: The Weather Service sounds its alarm tone only for hazards urgent enough to wake people in the middle of the night. If your phone is down or the internet is out, a radio that receives the NOAA weather band can still bring you that warning. For alerts that can wake you, look for SAME county alerts and an alarm tone, with battery backup. If you also want local news, check that it has AM/FM too, because not every weather radio does. See NOAA radios in the Shop →
What NOAA Weather Radio is
NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards is a nationwide network of radio stations run by the National Weather Service. It broadcasts official warnings, watches, forecasts, and other hazard information from your nearest Weather Service office, 24 hours a day.
It isn't only weather. Working with the FCC's Emergency Alert System, it also carries non-weather emergency messages, such as chemical releases, AMBER alerts, and 911 phone outages. For non-weather emergencies, the Weather Service broadcasts at the request of local or state officials.
The network has more than 1,000 transmitters covering all 50 states, coastal waters, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the U.S. Pacific Territories. It broadcasts on seven VHF frequencies between 162.400 and 162.550 MHz. You can't hear it on a plain AM/FM radio. You need a receiver with the weather band.
The Weather Service doesn't make, sell, or endorse any radio. It suggests looking for a radio with the Public Alert or NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards logo.
Why it matters when internet and cell are down
NOAA Weather Radio is a radio broadcast. You pick it up with a receiver, not an app or a data plan. Ready.gov says mobile networks can get overwhelmed in emergencies. A radio broadcast doesn't depend on them. Ready.gov lists it alongside phone alerts and broadcast radio and TV as one of the ways officials send warnings.
Two honest limits:
- Range. Reception typically reaches about 40 miles from a transmitter on level terrain, and hills, buildings, and distance cut it down.
- Transmitters can go down too. A station can be temporarily out of service, for example from a power outage or antenna damage. The Weather Service posts known outages at weather.gov/nwr/outages.
See the full scenario: Internet and cell outage.
Winter storm watch, warning or advisory?
Your local Weather Service office issues these alerts, and NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts them. The National Weather Service says each office "will issue Warnings, Watches or Advisories based on local criteria." So the amount of snow that sets one off differs from place to place.
| Alert | What the National Weather Service says | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather Advisory ("Be Aware") | "issued when snow, blowing snow, ice, sleet, or a combination of these wintry elements is expected but conditions should not be hazardous enough to meet warning criteria." | NWS: "Be prepared for winter driving conditions and possible travel difficulties. Use caution when driving." |
| Winter Storm Watch ("Be Prepared") | "issued when conditions are favorable for a significant winter storm event (heavy sleet, heavy snow, ice storm, heavy snow and blowing snow or a combination of events.)" | Ready.gov: "Gather supplies in case you need to stay home for several days without power." See the winter storm checklist. |
| Winter Storm Warning ("Take Action!") | "issued for a significant winter weather event including snow, ice, sleet or blowing snow or a combination of these hazards." | NWS: "Travel will become difficult or impossible in some situations. Delay your travel plans until conditions improve." |
Ice storms. The Weather Service says Ice Storm Warnings "are usually issued for ice accumulation of around 1/4 inch or more." It adds that this ice "will make travel dangerous or impossible and likely lead to snapped power lines and falling tree branches." See how to prepare for an ice storm power outage.
Traveling? See holiday travel in a winter storm.
How your radio alerts you. The Weather Service says: "When an NWS office broadcasts a warning, watch or non-weather emergency, it also broadcasts a digital SAME code." It adds: "A programmed NWR SAME receiver will turn on for that message, with the listener hearing the 1050 Hz warning alarm tone as an attention signal, followed by the broadcast message." That works only if your radio has SAME and you've programmed your county (see set it up).
What to look for
NOAA weather band
This is the one feature you can't skip. The radio has to receive the weather band (162.400 to 162.550 MHz). The Weather Service recommends looking for the Public Alert or NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards logo. Devices with the Public Alert logo meet a technical standard, and the Weather Service has evaluated devices carrying the All Hazards logo.
SAME / county alerts
SAME (Specific Area Message Encoding) lets you choose your county, so the radio sounds an alert only for warnings in the area you picked, not for every county the transmitter covers. Before most warnings and many watches, the Weather Service sends a 1050 Hz alarm tone that switches on radios built to receive it, even with the volume off. That's what makes a radio useful overnight.
Not every radio with the weather band has SAME or an alarm. The Weather Service notes that many receivers have an alarm feature, but some may not. Check the maker's own spec page for the exact model before you buy. Of our two picks below, only the Midland WR120B has SAME.
Power: batteries, hand crank, USB
Power outages often come with storms, so the Weather Service calls battery backup important for an alert radio. For a radio that stays on a shelf, it recommends keeping it on AC power, with batteries in as backup, to save battery life.
Public kit lists from Ready.gov and the Red Cross name a battery-powered or hand-crank radio. If a model lists a hand crank, solar panel, or USB port, read the maker's own page for what each one actually does. We don't repeat runtime or charging claims we can't check. Keep spare batteries in the size your radio takes.
AM/FM too
The Emergency Alert System also reaches you through broadcast radio and TV, and NYC's Ready New York guide lists a battery-operated AM/FM radio for your home supply kit. Some weather radios are weather-band only. Others combine the weather band with AM/FM. If you want both, check the product page for both. Of our two picks below, the Midland ER310 has AM/FM and the Midland WR120B doesn't, and each Shop card says which bands it has.
Set it up before you need it
- 1Find your station and county code. Look up your county's 6-digit SAME code and transmitter at weather.gov/nwr/counties, or search by ZIP code at Find My Station. You can also call 1-888-NWR-SAME (1-888-697-7263), or text "Go" to that number.
- 2Program it with your radio's manual. Enter your county code. Program the station that broadcasts your county's code, even if another station sounds louder or clearer. The Weather Service warns that otherwise you won't receive alerts.
- 3Set it to alert mode if it has one. Many models can sit muted on standby and turn on when an alert comes in.
- 4Listen for the weekly test. The Weather Service normally tests the alarm each Wednesday between 10 a.m. and noon local time. It moves the test to the next good-weather day if severe weather threatens. If your radio is in alert mode, that's an easy way to hear whether it picks up the alarm where it sits.
- 5Follow the maker's manual for battery care and checks on the radio itself. For programming help, the Weather Service says to contact the radio's manufacturer.
- 6Write it down. Put your station's frequency and a local AM/FM news station on paper. Our wallet card has a line for it.
In an apartment
- Reception in cities can be weaker because of steel and concrete, and it can change from room to room. Moving a few feet can turn a weak signal into a strong one.
- The Weather Service suggests trying a spot near a window facing the station, away from other electronics. Higher floors tend to get a better signal.
- Some radios have a jack for an external antenna if your spot is still weak.
- Try a few spots before an outage. The Wednesday test is a good time to check.
New York City? Sign up for Notify NYC too. See our NYC apartment guide.
Buy / Borrow / Skip
Buy: a radio that receives the NOAA weather band. For alerts while you sleep, choose one with SAME county alerts and an alarm tone, kept on AC power with batteries as backup. For news when the internet is down, choose one with AM/FM too, running on batteries or a hand crank. Our two picks do different jobs:
- Midland ER310 (primary): weather band and AM/FM, no SAME. Midland says it receives all 7 NOAA weather channels plus AM/FM. Turn on its weather-alert mode, and it sounds a siren and flashes its light when an alert is broadcast on the channel it's tuned to. It has no SAME county coding. Recharge its built-in battery by USB (Midland includes a micro-USB cable) or the hand crank, and top it up with the small solar panel. Midland says the panel is meant to extend a charged battery, not recharge a flat one, so charge it fully by USB first. It can also run on 6 AA batteries (not included), and it has an LED flashlight.
- Midland WR120B (backup): SAME alert radio, NOAA only. Midland lists it as "Public Alert Certified." It uses S.A.M.E. coding with up to 25 programmable locations. Out of the box, it alerts for every county in range of the station. Once you set your county, it alerts for the areas you chose. It plugs into the wall with the included AC adapter and keeps running in an outage on 3 AA batteries (not included). It has a 90 dB siren and a jack for a bed shaker or strobe accessory. It receives the NOAA weather band only, with no AM/FM and no hand crank.
Borrow: a neighbor's weather radio, to find the spot in your apartment with the best signal before you buy. The building lobby or bulletin board for local notices.
Skip: "survival radio" bundles sold with knives as the hero; GMRS two-way radios sold without a note that GMRS needs an FCC license; and any radio that doesn't list the NOAA weather band, if alerts are why you're buying.
Related
Sources
We base this page on public guidance. We link to it so you can check it yourself.
- National Weather Service: NOAA Weather Radio. What NWR is, its all-hazards role with the Emergency Alert System, more than 1,000 transmitters, and the seven VHF frequencies.
- National Weather Service: NWR Receiver Consumer Information. Broadcasts can't be heard on a simple AM/FM radio; the Weather Service doesn't sell or endorse receivers; look for the Public Alert or All Hazards logo; tone alarm, SAME, and battery backup.
- National Weather Service: Using NWR SAME. Program your county's 6-digit SAME code; how to get it online, by phone, or by text; don't program a louder station that isn't your SAME channel; transmitter status.
- National Weather Service: NWR Warnings. The SAME burst and 1050 Hz alarm tone; standby or alert mode; coverage of about 40 miles.
- National Weather Service: Alarm Test Procedures. Alarm tests normally run each Wednesday between 10 a.m. and noon local time.
- National Weather Service: NWR Reception. City reception, room-to-room changes, placement, and external antennas.
- National Weather Service: All-Hazards Emergency Messages. Non-weather messages are broadcast at the request of local or state officials.
- Ready.gov (FEMA): Emergency Alerts. NOAA Weather Radio, the Emergency Alert System on broadcast radio and TV, and Wireless Emergency Alerts.
- Ready.gov (FEMA): Build a Kit. A battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert.
- American Red Cross: Survival Kit Supplies. A battery-powered or hand-crank radio (NOAA Weather Radio, if possible).
- NYC Emergency Management: Ready New York pocket guide (PDF). A battery-operated AM/FM radio and extra batteries, or a wind-up radio, in your home supply kit.
- Midland: ER310 Portable Emergency Crank Weather Radio. Comes with "FM/AM radio"; "Weather alerts sound when issued on local channel"; "Solar, hand crank, rechargeable lithium-ion battery"; "6 'AA' Battery Back-Up Power Option … AA batteries not included"; "Micro USB Charging Cable" in the box; Cree LED flashlight; the solar panel "is meant to extend the charge of a fully charged battery."
- Midland: ER310 Full User Guide. "The ER310 receives 7 NOAA Weather channels"; "Rechargeable via USB, solar panel, or hand crank."
- Midland: ER310 Owner's Manual (PDF). To enable alerts, press the WX ALERT button; "When a weather alert is received, the ER310 will sound an audible siren and the flashlight will flash on and off."
- Midland: WR120 NOAA Weather and Emergency Alert Radio (Model WR120B). "Public Alert Certified"; "S.A.M.E. Digital Technology"; "25 Programable Locations"; "AC Power Adapter" in the box; "Stays powered during outages with 3 "AA" alkaline batteries"; "(Not Included)"; "LOUD 90dB SIREN".
- Midland: WR120 Full User Guide. "Power Source: 120V AC / 3 AA batteries"; "NOAA Frequencies: 162.400 – 162.550 MHz (7 channels)"; "External Alert Jack – Connect to alerting accessories (bed shakers, strobes, etc.)"
- Midland: WR120 Owner's Manual (PDF). "comes preprogrammed to receive weather and hazard alert transmissions for all S.A.M.E. codes within range"; program it to receive alerts just for your county.
- FCC: General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS). An FCC license is required to operate a GMRS system.
- National Weather Service: Winter Weather Warnings, Watches and Advisories. Definitions of winter weather advisories, winter storm watches, and winter storm and ice storm warnings.
- Ready.gov (FEMA): Winter Weather. Gather supplies for several days without power.
Last reviewed: October 29, 2026