Data Sheet

In January 1998, the National Weather Service (NWS) began the process of implementing new equipment and procedures for automating NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts. The new, personal computer-based broadcasting console, known as the NOAA Weather Radio 2000 (NWR 2000), automates the process of reading written information for broadcast on NOAA Weather Radio (NWR). Implementation of this state-of-the-art system is occurring simultaneously with a multi-year planned improvement and expansion of the NWR program.

NOAA Weather Radio

NOAA Weather Radio is a nationwide network of radio transmitters broadcasting continuous local weather information directly to the public. These local broadcasts originate from and are controlled by a neighboring NWS forecast office. NWR broadcasts National Weather Service watches, warnings, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day. Known as the "Voice of the National Weather Service," NOAA Weather Radio is provided as a public service by the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NWR coverage includes the 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.

NOAA Weather Radio also broadcasts emergency and post-event information for all types of hazards -- both natural (such as severe weather, flooding, earthquakes and volcanic activity) and man-made (such as chemical releases or oil spills). Working with other Federal, State and Local agencies and compatible with the Federal Communication Commission's new Emergency Alert System, NOAA Weather Radio is an "all hazards" radio network, making it the single source for the most comprehensive weather and emergency information available to the public.

The NWR 2000 Broadcast System

The new NWR 2000 Broadcast System will automatically translate written National Weather Service forecasts and warnings into synthesized-voice recordings and schedule them for broadcast on NOAA Weather Radio. This new automated system provides faster broadcasts of severe weather watches, warnings and emergency information over NOAA Weather Radio because multiple warnings can be both recorded and transmitted at once. This capability dramatically speeds up the broadcast of warnings during multiple severe weather events. The automated technology will also significantly reduce the time it takes National Weather Service staff to record NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts allowing them to devote more time to critical warning services and forecast duties. Since each transmitter operated by the NWS office also has a unique geographical coverage area, NWS staff members in the past manually recorded the forecasts and current weather information for each listening area. This was done using technology that limited programming variability and locked the messages into a repetitive sequential order. Producing and updating information in this manner was time consuming since most Weather Service forecast offices operate multiple (up to 13) different NOAA Weather Radio transmitters.

Benefits

NWR 2000 brings many benefits to the NOAA Weather Radio network. Specifically, the new automated broadcast system significantly reduces the time it takes to record broadcast messages, forecasts, watches and warnings, allowing staff to devote more time to critical warning services and forecast duties. Automating the process makes it easier for listeners to tune to NOAA Weather Radio at particular times for the information they need. Forecast offices will be able to broadcast particular forecasts and information such as river forecasts or climate summaries in time slots on a more regular schedule (for example, at :06, :16, :26, :36, :46, and :56 each hour). NWR 2000 technology will not require any changes to the receivers currently available at consumer electronics stores.

Frequently Asked Questions & Answers

Q1. What is NOAA Weather Radio?

NOAA Weather Radio is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from a nearby National Weather Service forecast office. NWR broadcasts National Weather Service watches, warnings, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day. Known as the "Voice of the National Weather Service," NOAA Weather Radio is provided as a public service by the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and covers the 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and U.S. Pacific Territories. NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts emergency and post-event information for all types of hazards -- both natural (such as severe weather, flooding, earthquakes and volcanic activity) and man-made (such as chemical releases or oil spills). Working with other Federal agencies and compatible with the Federal Communication Commission's new Emergency Alert System (EAS), NOAA Weather Radio is an "all hazards" radio network, making it the single source for the most comprehensive weather and emergency information available to the public.

Q2. What is the NOAA Weather Radio 2000 ?

The NOAA Weather Radio 2000 Broadcast System (NWR 2000) is a new, personal computer-based broadcasting console, installed at each NWS office, that automatically translates and schedules written National Weather Service forecasts and warnings into synthesized-voice broadcasts over NOAA Weather Radio. The automated broadcast programs for NOAA Weather Radio help free NWS staff to spend more time on critical warning and forecasting duties. In addition, the automatic weather broadcast consoles will provide a more efficient means of disseminating severe weather watches, warnings and emergency information over NOAA weather radio. The state-of-the-art system is part of a multi-year improvement of the National Weather Service's NOAA Weather Radio network. NOAA Weather Radio and the NWR 2000 are critical to the NWS mission of disseminating watches and warnings of hazardous weather for the protection of life and property.

Q3. What are the benefits of automated broadcasts?

This new automated system provides faster broadcasts of severe weather watches, warnings and emergency information over NOAA Weather Radio because multiple warnings can be both recorded and transmitted at once. This capability dramatically speeds up the broadcast of warnings during multiple severe weather events. The automated technology will also significantly reduce the time it takes National Weather Service staff to record NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts allowing them to devote more time to critical warning services and forecast duties. Automating the process will make it easier for listeners to tune to NOAA Weather Radio at particular times for the information they need. Forecast offices will be able to broadcast particular forecasts and information such as marine and river forecasts or climate summaries in time slots on a more regular schedule (for example, at :06, :16, :26, :36, :46, and :56 after each hour).

Q4. Will all the information I currently hear on NOAA Weather Radio be broadcasts in a synthesized voice?

The synthesized voice will be phased in over time. Eventually, all forecasts, warnings and weather information will be broadcast with the synthesized voice. An NWR program can be interrupted with live broadcasts as needed.

Q5. What can you tell me about the synthesized voices used for the broadcasts?

The NWR 2000 uses voice synthesis provided by the contractor DEC. The NWS is committed to making improvements to the system's voice quality as improvements become available.

Q6. How were broadcasts recorded prior to the automated system?

Since each transmitter operated by the NWS office also has a unique geographical coverage area, in the past, NWS staff members manually recorded the forecasts and current weather information for each listening area. This was done using technology that limited programming variability and locked the messages into a repetitive sequential order. Producing and updating information in this manner was time consuming since most Weather Service forecast offices operate multiple (up to 13) different NOAA Weather Radio transmitters.

Q7. Do I need to purchase a new receiver to receive the new automated broadcasts?

No, you will not need to make any changes to the receiver you have in your home or business to receive the automated broadcasts.

Q8. How does NWR 2000 work with the new Specific Area Message Encoding service?

NWR 2000 and the Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) are two separate NOAA Weather Radio technological advances as part of the National Weather Service modernization effort. Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) is a feature on the newest generation of NOAA Weather Radios which lets listeners pre-select the National Weather Service alerts they want to receive based on the county where they live. NWR 2000 automates the process of assigning SAME codes to watches and warnings - making that life-saving information available faster, and more reliably than currently possible.

Q9. Where can I get more information on NOAA Weather Radio and the NWR 2000 System?

For more information on NOAA Weather Radio, visit the NWR web site at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr and the NWR 2000 Broadcast System (formerly known as the Console Replacement System) web site at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/oso/oso1/oso12/crs.htm