search menu Weather Radio-All Hazards A NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards broadcasts official Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week In the 1980s weather radios became popular for those who wanted to get weather information in real-time. Battery allowed operation even when the power went out. By the 1990s, there were significant improvements to NOAA Weather Radios with the advent of automatic alert tones. People who weren’t paying attention to the weather could now be alerted to rapidly changing weather. By the 2000s, NOAA Weather Radios had smart features smarter as one could pre-program your specific location using "Specific Area Message Encoding" or "SAME" directing an alarm for a specific area and not for storms from miles away. This allowed the right people to get the right warning at the right time. Although there are advances in other warning messages, every home should have a battery back-up NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards in the case of long term power outages where other methods may or may not work. RAPID CITY (WXM-63) on 162.550 MHz serves the central Black Hills and plains around Rapid City: Western Pennington County WEST of Hisega, Rockerville, and Hayward; including Hill City, Keystone, Mt. Rushmore, Deerfield, Rochford, Johnson Siding, Pactola Reservoir, Sheridan Lake, Deerfield Reservoir, and Highway 385: SAME code 446103 Rapid City Area / CENTRAL Pennington County; including Black Hawk, Box Elder, Ellsworth AFB, Rapid Valley, Rapid City Regional Airport, and Highway 79: SAME code 546103 Eastern Pennington County EAST of Box Elder and Caputa; including New Underwood, Wasta, Wall, Quinn, Creighton, western Badlands National Park, Farmingdale, Scenic, Interstate 90, and Highway 44: SAME code 646103 For more information on other areas refer to the NWS provided information at this link. Weather Radio Information Emergency Messaging in Pennington County: Public Warning Messages: Pennington County Public Warning Messages enables us to provide you with critical information quickly in a variety of situations including life-threatening severe weather warnings, evacuation notices, hazardous chemical leaks, civil disturbance activity and more. If we can't reach you, we can't warn you. Sign Up Outdoor Warning Sirens: Pennington County has 34 sirens to warn of impending danger located in Box Elder, Hill City, Keystone, New Underwood, Rapid City and Wall. Sirens are used for any life-threatening, all-risk, all-hazard emergency from natural threats or human-caused threats as determined by key public safety officials. Sirens are tested at 12 noon on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month. Learn more. Weather Radio-All Hazards: A nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from a nearby National Weather Service office to specially configured NOAA weather radio receivers. You must have a weather radio to receive these alerts. This is an especially good option if you live in an area of Pennington County that does not have good cell phone service. Learn More. Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA): Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) send free informational text messages to WEA-enabled cell phones within range of an imminent and dangerous local situation, severe weather event, or AMBER emergency. Learn More. Emergency Alert System (EAS): The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is a national public warning system that requires broadcasters, satellite digital audio service and direct broadcast satellite providers, cable television systems, and wireless cable systems to provide the President with a communications capability to address the American people within 10 minutes during a national emergency. Learn More. Official Website of Pennington County, South Dakota. All Rights Reserved. Physical Address: 130 Kansas City Street Rapid City, SD 57701 Phone: (605) 394-2174 Mailing Address: PO Box 6160 Rapid City, SD 57709-6160 Administration Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Site Map Contact Us Disclaimer Accessibility Government Websites by GovOffice