NWS Fort Worth/Dallas County Warning Area

Information Dissemination

Following are the three ways we transmit weather forecasts, warnings, or advisories.

NOAA Weather Radio

NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) is a service of the National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC). As the "Voice of the National Weather Service," it provides continuous broadcasts of the latest weather information directly from NWS offices. The computer voice generated weather messages are repeated generally every four to six minutes and are routinely revised every one to three hours, or more frequently if needed. The NOAA Weather Radio is the best direct method of receiving weather warnings and information from the National Weather Service.

All weather radio service to North Central Texas operates 24 hours daily and is tailored to the weather information needs of the people within the receiving area. Routine programming include a short term weather forecast, a 7-day forecast for the listening area, hourly weather information, and a North Texas weather summary.

During severe weather, NWS forecasters can preempt the routine weather broadcasts and substitute special warning messages. The forecasters can also activate specially designed warning receivers. Such receivers either sound an alarm, to indicate that an emergency exists and alert the listener to turn the receiver up to an audible volume or, when operated in a muted mode, are automatically turned on so that the warning message is heard.

Commercial radio and TV stations are authorized to rebroadcast any material, especially weather watches and warnings, transmitted over the weather radio, subject only to minimal restrictions stated in FCC Public Notice 70-1108-52876. Following map of the approximate reception area for the five weather radio broadcasts that serve North Central Texas whose broadcast originate from the weather office in Fort Worth along with each station's call sign and frequency. The broadcasts can usually be heard as far as 40 miles from the antenna site, sometimes more. The effective range depends on many factors, particularly the height of the broadcast antenna, terrain, quality of the receiver, and type of receiving antenna.

This map also shows the counties and frequencies in North Central Texas that are served by other National Weather Service Offices in Texas.

NOAA Weather Wire Service

The NOAA Weather Wire Service (NWWS) is a means for disseminating hydrometeorological and other environmental information to the media, emergency management agencies, and other users. While most information is in plain language, a few products are in coded format. The vast majority of the public receives weather warning and information through the NWWS via the local and national media.

The National Weather Service recently completed a major overhaul and upgrade to the NWWS system. This new system provides the most reliable and timely warning delivery system available, and includes significant system enhancements which will allow reception of limited graphic products, an improved user interface, and which allows use of a standard Windows PC to select and monitor weather products. The delivery time of watches and warnings is specified at 10 seconds or less 98% of the time.

The contract for the new NWWS was awarded to DynCorp on September 30, 1999. For more information, contact DynCorp at 800.633.2340. Information is also available on their website: http://www.weatherwire.net or on the National Weather Service Homepage. They are offering three options for receiving WeatherWire products: C-band, Ku-band, or Internet service. If you want service closest the old NWWS, then the C-band option is most appropriate. The benefits and costs of each option are explained on DynCorp's website.

National Warning System

Funded by the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), the National Warning System (NAWAS) is a comprehensive party-line network of telephone circuits connecting more than 1,500 state and federal warning points throughout the United States. Although NAWAS is a national system, the day-to-day operation is under the control of individual states. Each state has its own plan for the use of NAWAS during weather emergencies.

NAWAS is used to warn the public, through local governments, about potential loss of life and/or property. Such threatening situations are not limited to meteorological or hydrological events. The warning messages can include, but are not limited to, dam breaks, earthquakes, volcanoes, major fires, terrorist activities, landslides, and hazardous materials releases. When a weather warning is issued, we call and verify that our warnings have reached the emergency management official(s) in the affected county or counties.