But despite real-life stories like those mentioned above, NOAA Weather Radio remains one of the best kept secrets in the United States. NOAA Weather Radio advises people of severe weather watches and warnings, buying extra time for people to react before dangerous storms hit their areas. When you're in the path of something like a tornado, minutes and seconds can mean the difference between life and death. Weather service offices tailor their NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts to suit local needs and commercial interests. For example, broadcasts in New England may focus on marine weather conditions for recreational boaters and fishing and shipping vessels.
Routine information is updated every one to three hours, and the broadcasts continuously repeat.
Weather service offices immediately interrupt regular reports when a severe weather situation requires a live alert or warning. NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts began in the 1950s when the old Weather Bureau started broadcasting weather information over two stations. In the 1960s, stations were added for the marine community, and by the late 1970s, the system included more than 300 stations. Now more than 475 transmitters are within the listening range of most of the Nation's population. In 1975, NOAA Weather Radio became the only government-operated radio system for providing direct warnings to private homes for weather and other significant hazards.