U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

National Weather Service

October 2007

...the voice of the

National Weather Service
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Legendary comic strip character Mark Trail has rendered an 

invaluable public service by drawing attention to the dangers 

associated with flash flooding, tornadoes and hurricanes and 

the importance of having and listening to NOAA Weather Radio 

broadcasts. The Mark Trail comic strip created by Jack Elrod is 

syndicated by King Features. 

NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards is a round-the-clock 

source of weather reports and timely hazard information. 

The NOAA Weather Radio broadcast is known as the 

“voice” of NOAA’s National Weather Service. NOAA 

Weather Radio broadcasts are a public service provided 

by the Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The NOAA Weather Radio system consists of NOAA’s 

National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office (where 

the broadcasts originate), a transmission site (station) 

with antenna tower, and a NOAA Weather Radio receiver 

in your hand or on your desk at home or in the office.

There are more than 970 NOAA Weather Radio broadcast 

stations serving the United States, US Virgin Islands, 

US Pacific territories, Puerto Rico and adjacent coastal 

waters.

In some areas, the NOAA Weather Radio broadcast may be 

available in Spanish.

More information can be found at 

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr.

What is NOAA Weather Radio All 

Hazards?

Why do I need a 

NOAA Weather 

Radio All Hazards 

receiver?

When hazardous weather or other life-threatening 

situations are about to occur in your area, SECONDS 

can make the difference and ensure your safety. NOAA 

Weather Radio helps provide that lead-time by alerting 

you to impending hazards.

The NOAA’s National Weather Service’s vision is to be 

America’s “no surprise” weather service. Our goal is to 

provide you with as much lead-time before a hazardous 

weather-related event occurs and provide you critical 

information on emergency/life threatening situations. 

With early warning from a NOAA Weather Radio receiver 

you and your loved ones have additional time to take 

adequate precautions, find shelter, or reach safety. 

NOAA Weather Radio receivers equipped with an alarm 

feature can be programmed to sound a tone and give you 

immediate information about life-threatening situations 

in your vicinity any time, day or night.

Public safety experts agree NOAA Weather Radio 

receivers should be standard equipment in every home. 

They are especially valuable in places entrusted with 

public safety; including hospitals, places of worship, 

nursing homes, restaurants, malls, grocery stores, 

recreation centers, office buildings, sports facilities, 

theaters, retail stores, bus and train stations, airports, 

marinas, and other public gathering places.
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NOAA Weather Radio receivers are available at many 

retail stores, electronic outlets, department stores, boat 

and marine accessory businesses and some drug stores. 

NOAA Weather Radio receivers can be purchased 

through mail order by telephone or from the Internet. 

NOAA Weather Radio receivers come in many sizes and 

with a variety of functions. The basic NOAA Weather 

R a d i o r e c e i v e r 

can range in cost 

from about $20 to 

roughly $100 with 

various features. 

High-end specialty 

N O A A W e a t h e r 

Radio receivers for 

Where can I buy a NOAA Weather 

Radio All Hazards receiver?

What is Specific Area Message 

Encoding (SAME)?

SAME allows you to receive alerts only for the areas you choose. Even if you’re asleep, you will not be awakened for 

warnings that are issued several counties away from you. If your radio has the SAME feature, you enter the SAME 

code for your county or other adjacent counties covered by the local NWR broadcast that you want to receive. 

SAME is a key feature of NOAA Weather Radio and lets you utilize our warning system to its fullest 

potential. SAME codes are available by telephone at 1-888-NWR-SAME (888-697-7263) or on the Internet at 

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/indexnw.htm.

commercial applications cost more than $100 and are well 

suited for public facilities and emergency management 

applications. Regardless which NOAA Weather Radio 

receiver you choose, make sure it can receive all seven 

NOAA Weather Radio frequencies, has an alert tone 

feature for emergency notification, and the Specific Area 

Message Encoding (SAME) feature.

Most NOAA Weather Radios are either battery-operated 

portables, or AC powered models with battery backup. 

These NOAA Weather Radios can be used in many 

different emergency situations at home, at work, outside, 

or on a boat within range of a NOAA Weather Radio 

broadcast.

NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards Coverage
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NOAA Weather Radio stations broadcast on one of seven 

discrete frequencies to deliver weather and hazard information. 

During an emergency, NOAA’s National Weather Service 

forecasters interrupt routine NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts 

by sending out a special tone followed by information on the 

public emergency. 

NOAA Weather Radio Frequencies

162.400 MHz

162.425 MHz

162.450 MHz

162.475 MHz

162.500 MHz

162.525 MHz

162.550 MHz

NOAA Weather Radio All 

Hazard Frequencies

Is NOAA Weather Radio 

All Hazard available in my area?

NOTE: If a NOAA Weather 

Radio receiver is moved from one 

location to another the frequency may 

need to be changed to continue to receive 

broadcasts. A few NOAA Weather Radio 

receiver models feature an automated 

channel/signal search function to find 

another usable signal when the current 

signal is out of range. Signal loss or fades 

may be experienced in large cities where 

signals may be blocked by buildings, 

in mountainous regions and valleys, 

and when transiting through areas with 

marginal or no broadcast coverage. Be 

aware your system may also have SAME 

codes pre-programmed that are fine 

for home or office but not for your trip 

or new location. Be sure to check the 

NOAA Weather Radio web page(s) 

mentioned for the frequency and 

coverage information you need for 

your hike, trip, travels, etc.

NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts can generally be heard within 40 miles of the nearest NOAA Weather Radio 

station/transmitter. Many things affect the reception of the broadcast signal. Large bodies of salt water may 

increase the broadcast range, while forested areas, deserts, and mountains have a tendency to reduce the effective 

range. Interfering buildings or structures may reduce reception in large cities, while higher locations may enhance 

reception.

You can determine the NOAA Weather Radio broadcast coverage by checking the station listings and coverage 

areas on the NOAA Weather Radio website at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/nwrbro.htm

If you are having trouble receiving the NOAA Weather Radio broadcast in your area, here are some steps that 

may help: 

■ Attach an indoor or outdoor antenna

■ Vary the position of the radio

■ Place the radio nearer to a window or on the upper-most floor of your building

■ Move it away from other electronic equipment.

Any questions about NOAA Weather Radio reception (or lack thereof) at your location should be sent to 

the Weather Forecast Office nearest your location. Contact information is provided at 

http://www.stormready.noaa.gov/contact.htm
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Partnering for a Safer Future

If you are not receiving NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts 

in your area, it may be due to terrain features or manmade 

structures in the path of the signal, or other conditions of 

nature that prevent signal reception. It could also be because 

there is no NOAA Weather Radio transmitter serving your 

area. While the National Weather Service has met its goal 

to provide NOAA Weather Radio broadcast service to at 

least 95 percent of the National population, there are still 

areas in the country that are not yet covered/within range 

of a NOAA Weather Radio station. Our network expansion 

program continues to provide new or upgraded 

transmitters in many locations around the 

country. This expansion effort is aided by the 

actions of local and state governments, local 

businesses, and civic organizations 

as they partner with NOAA’s National 

Weather Service. Through written 

agreements, these public and private 

partners purchase and install NOAA 

Weather Radio transmitters in areas 

currently without service. Additional 

information on the Internet can be found at 

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/all-haz/

all-haz5.htm.

For information about developing a 

partnership agreement with NOAA’s 

National Weather Service, please 

contact your local Weather Forecast 

Office.

®

Is Your Community 

StormReady?

To help Americans prepare for the ravages 

of hazardous weather, the National Weather 

Service has designed StormReady, a program 

aimed at arming America’s communities with the 

communication and safety skills necessary to save 

lives and property. More information is available at 

www.nws.noaa.gov/stormready. 
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What is “All Hazards” 

Messaging?

In addition to present weather conditions, forecasted weather, advisories, 

watches and warnings issued by NOAA’s National Weather Service, 

broadcasts over NOAA Weather Radio may include non-weather related 

hazards/emergency information. 

Working with other Federal agencies and using the Federal 

Communications Commission’s (FCC) Emergency Alert System (EAS), 

NOAA Weather Radio is an all hazards dissemination radio network, 

making it the single source for the most comprehensive weather and 

emergency information available to the public.

Examples of non-weather events include:

■ Toxic chemical incidents

■ Nuclear power plant accidents

■ Forest or brush fires that threaten your community

■ Amber Alerts

■ Local and/or national alerts as deemed appropriate 

by emergency authorities

■ Post event information in certain situations.

Non-Weather Related 

Emergency Message

NOAA’s National Weather Service Weather Forecast Offices have 

pre-arranged agreements with emergency managers to facilitate 

the receipt and transmission of emergency non-weather related 

messages. Typically, your local Weather Forecast Office will 

receive an alert directly from a local or state government official 

or emergency management agency representative, then interrupt 

the NOAA Weather Radio broadcast using the special alert tone 

and SAME codes.
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All family members should be aware of and prepared in the event an emergency or life-threatening situation 

occurs. Whether you or they are at school, work, home or on vacation, a plan of action is needed. The 

action plan should answer the questions: 

■ What do I need?

■ Whom do I call?

■ Where should I go? 

Plans should be updated, discussed, and practiced at least 

annually so everyone understands.

Having a NOAA Weather Radio receiver to monitor changes in 

the weather and emergencies in the area should be an integral 

part of every plan. When HAZARD or EMERGENCY messages 

are sent by official agencies, a NOAA Weather Radio receiver will 

keep you informed. 

Severe weather information is available at 

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/severeweather/index.shtml.

Available publications on weather-related threats can be found at 

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/brochures.shtml.

Weather and Warnings for People 

Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

People who are deaf, hard of hearing, or visually impaired can be alerted to severe weather and other hazards 

by special devices connected to the NOAA Weather Radio receiver. These attention-getting devices may 

include strobe lights, bed-shakers, and even sirens. These devices, once activated, should prompt the user 

to go to their normal source of news and/or information for further details.

With the SAME feature, external alarms can be programmed for activation when warnings are issued for 

a particular county and event.

Some NOAA Weather Radio receiver models provide a limited caption-like front message display (TORNADO 

WARNING, FLASH FLOOD WARNING, etc.). These models can give deaf and hard of hearing individuals 

basic information regarding the nature of the event or emergency.

For more information go to: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/special_need.htm

Planning for Disaster
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Tornado

A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in 

contact with the ground. Waterspouts are tornadoes 

that occur over water. Tornadoes are produced 

by severe thunderstorms and are sometimes 

accompanied by hail.

Tornadoes are classified according to the damage 

caused using the Fujita Scale **. The majority of 

tornadoes produced are between F0 (weak; lasting 

5-10 minutes) and F3 (strong; lasting 20+ minutes). 

Only 2% of all tornadoes that occur in a given year are 

F4 or F5 (violent; lasting 60+ minutes).

Each year about 1000 tornadoes touch down in the 

United States. Only a small number actually strike 

occupied buildings. One of the most important things 

you can do to prevent being injured when a tornado 

occurs is to be alert to the onset of severe weather. 

Listen to NOAA Weather Radio.

Tornado brochure can be found on the Internet at 

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/brochures/ttl.pdf

**http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/f-scale.html

Wildfire

Wildfires can occur from lightning strikes, carelessly tossed cigarettes or 

matches, unattended campfires, stoves, or stray sparks from a passing vehicle 

or a faulty electrical device.

Weather is one of the most significant factors in determining the severity of 

wildfires. The spread rate and intensity of these fires is directly related to 

the wind speed, temperature, and relative 

humidity. Seasonal conditions also play a 

major role.

As information is made available to NOAA’s 

National Weather Service, NOAA Weather 

Radio provides you with up-to-date information 

on fires in your area.

See this website for seasonal information: 

http://www.firewise.org/resources/peak_

fire_seasons/index.html
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Severe 

Thunderstorms

Thunderstorms may produce tornadoes, cloud-to-ground 

lightning, strong winds, flash flooding and hail. Of the 

100,000 thunderstorms that occur each year in the 

United States, about 10 percent are classified as severe.

A thunderstorm is severe if it produces hail of at least 3⁄4” 

in diameter; winds of 58 mph or stronger; or a tornado. 

When conditions are favorable for severe thunderstorms, 

a severe thunderstorm WATCH is issued on NOAA 

Weather Radio. A WARNING is issued for areas where 

severe thunderstorms are highly likely, imminent, or 

occurring. A WATCH means it’s time to prepare for the 

possibility of severe weather. A WARNING means take 

action now.

The “Thunderstorm, Tornado and Lightning” brochure 

can be found on the Internet at 

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/brochures/ttl.pdf

Flash Flood

Flash floods are the #1 cause of death associated with 

thunderstorms.

The two key elements for a flash flood are intensity and 

duration of the storm. In other words, how hard has 

it been raining? and for how long? Heavy rains from 

thunderstorms, hurricanes and tropical storms can cause 

flash floods (sometimes miles away from the rain event) 

depending on the location and terrain. 

Water levels in gullies and ditches can rise 

from a meager trickle to heights of 30 feet in 

seconds given the right terrain conditions. 

Furthermore, flash flood-producing rains can 

trigger mud slides.

Keep aware of your surroundings and listen 

to NOAA Weather Radio. If a Flash Flood 

Warning is issued for your area, immediately 

move to higher ground. Never drive through 

a flood. Most flash flood deaths occur when 

people get trapped in their vehicles.

Internet links on flooding;

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/brochures/Floodsbrochure_9_04_low.pdf

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/brochures/InlandFlooding.pdf
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Marine Safety/

Warnings

Marine Forecast and warning products produced 

by NOAA’s National Weather Service are issued for 

four marine areas: Coastal Water; Offshore Waters; 

High Seas; and Great Lakes. Warnings are issued 

for strong winds (e.g., gale, storm, hurricane-force), 

hazardous impacts from thunderstorms (wind and 

hail), waterspouts, tropical storms, and hurricanes.

NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts (within the range of 

respective transmitters) marine forecasts, warnings, 

and other valuable marine 

information over coastal waters 

and Great Lakes regions of 

the United States. For detailed 

information on the dissemination 

of marine forecasts and warnings; 

links to current products and 

marine publications; and websites 

of NWS Weather Forecast Offices 

and Centers go to 

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/

marine/home.htm

Winter Storms

Winter storms are considered deceptive killers because most deaths 

are indirectly related to the particular weather event. Deaths occur due 

to traffic accidents on icy roads, heart attacks while shoveling snow, or 

hypothermia from prolonged exposure to cold.

Keep ahead of the storm by listening 

to NOAA Weather Radio for the latest 

winter storm watches, warnings and 

advisories. To learn how to prepare 

for severe winter weather at home, at 

work, in vehicles, in the city and on 

the farm, go to 

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/

brochures/wntrstm.htm.
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Hurricane

A hurricane is an intense tropical weather system of strong 

thunderstorms with a well-defined surface circulation and sustained 

winds of 74 mph or greater.

Hurricanes are categorized according to the strength of their winds using 

the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale**. 

Each year an average of 10 tropical storms will 

develop over the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean 

Sea or Gulf of Mexico. Six of these will become 

hurricanes. Most remain over water. On 

average, five hurricanes strike U.S. coastlines 

in a three-year period. Of these five, two will be 

major hurricanes (Category 3; winds 110-130 

mph and storm surge of 9-12 ft).

Stay aware of the weather by using either a 

marine radio or NOAA Weather Radio receiver.

Several publications on hurricanes are available 

on the Internet at 

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/brochures.shtml

** http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/

 basics/saffir_simpson.shtml

What to Listen for...

Report transmitter outages at : nwroutage@noaa.gov or (888)886-1227

Use the above e-mail or phone number to report dead air on your local NWR frequency or to report the failure to hear a weekly test 

(Wednesdays between 10:00 a.m. and noon, local time)
American Red Cross 5088 Revised October 2007 NOAA/PA 96070

Gather information about hazards. Contact your local National Weather Service office, emergency 

management office, and American Red Cross chapter. Find out what type of disasters could occur and 

how you should respond. Learn your community’s warning signals and evacuation plans. Assess your 

risks and identify ways to make your home and property more secure.

Meet with your family to create a disaster plan. Discuss your plan with your family. Pick two places to meet: 

a spot outside your home for an emergency, such as fire, and a place away from your neighborhood in 

case you can’t return home. Choose an out-of-state friend as your “family check-in contact” for everyone 

to call if the family gets separated. Discuss what you would do if advised to evacuate.

Implement your plan. 

1 Post emergency telephone numbers by the phone.

2 Install safety features in your house, such as smoke alarms and fire extinguishers.

3 Inspect your home for potential hazards (items that can move, fall, break or catch fire) and 

correct them.

4 Have your family learn basic safety measures, such as CPR and first aid; how to use a fire 

extinguisher; and how and when to turn off water, gas and electricity in your home.

5 Teach children how and when to call 911 or your local Emergency number.

6 Keep enough supplies in your home for at least 3 days. Assemble a disaster supplies kit. Store these 

supplies in sturdy, easy‐to‐carry containers, such as backpacks or duffle bags. Keep important documents 

in a waterproof container. Keep a smaller disaster supplies kit in the trunk of your car.

Family Disaster Plan

Practice and maintain your plan. Ensure your family knows meeting places, phone numbers and safety 

rules. Conduct drills. Test your smoke alarms monthly and change the batteries at least once each year. 

Test and recharge your fire extinguisher(s) according to manufacturer’s instructions. Replace stored 

water and food every 6 months. Contact your local National Weather Service office, American Red Cross 

chapter or emergency management office for a copy of “Preparing for Disaster” (Red Cross A4600/

FEMA475).

■ A 3-day supply of water 

(one gallon per person, per day)

■ Non-perishable food

■ One change of clothing and 

shoes per person

■ Prescription & non-prescription 

medicines

LOCAL SPONSORSHIP:

■ One blanket or sleeping 

bag per person

■ First-aid kit

■ Battery-powered NOAA 

Weather Radio and a 

portable radio

A Disaster Supplies Kit Should Include:

■ Emergency tools

■ Flashlight, extra batteries

■ Extra set of car keys and a 

credit card or cash

■ Special items for infant, elderly 

or disabled family members

Prepare for hazards that could affect your area with a family disaster plan. Where will your family be 

when disaster strikes? They could be at work, school or in the car. How will you find each other? Will you 

know if your children are safe? Disaster may force you to evacuate your neighborhood or confine you to 

your home. What would you do if basic services—water, gas, electricity or telephones—were cut off?

Steps to Take

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