National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce
News Headlines
NOAA Weather Radio Logo

NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR) is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from the National Weather Service. NWR broadcasts official National Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Many NWR receivers are equipped with a special alert tone feature that will sound an alert and give you immediate information about a life threatening weather or other local emergency situation. With the implementation of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Specific Area Message Encoding (S.A.M.E.), it is now possible to program most weather radios to sound an alert for only a particular county or counties in a NWR's broadcast area.

Working with the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) Emergency Alert System , NWR is an "All Hazards" radio network, making it your single source for comprehensive weather and emergency information. In conjunction with Federal, State, and Local Emergency Managers and other public officials, NWR also broadcasts warning and post-event information for all types of hazards – including natural (such as earthquakes or avalanches), environmental (such as chemical releases or oil spills), and public safety (such as AMBER alerts or 911 Telephone outages).

NWR locations covering southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin

 

 

 

 

The routine NWR broadcast consists of the following items:

  • A 7-day weather forecast specified for the transmitter coverage area
  • Current weather conditions for the surrounding area
  • A Hazardous Weather Outlook, describing any potential weather hazards for the next 7 days
  • If available, a daily climate summary is broadcast in the morning and again in the evening

If severe weather watches or warnings are in effect for a particular transmitter area, the routine broadcast products may be pre-empted to provide updates on the severe weather conditions

A weekly test of the NWR Warning Alarm System is done by the National Weather Service every Wednesday around 1:00 PM. If severe weather threatens near the normal test time, the test will be postponed until the first available good weather day.