NWR Program

The scope of all the all hazard warnings include both natural and man made situations that would mandate notification and/or advisories to citizens in the broadcast area including those with marine interests. State and national warnings might include terrorist activity and/or situations of civil unrest.

The name, NOAA Weather Radio, represents radio receivers that are capable of receiving weather and/or warning information from National Weather Service Forecast Offices, approved Department of Homeland Security offices responsible for the dissemination of warning information, and those Emergency Management Partners that have been specifically authorized to disseminate warnings on the NWR operational frequencies.

To be classified as a NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards receiver, the device must meet, at a minimum, stringent requirements as specified in the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) Standard 2009-A (or current revision, Performace Specification for Public Alert Receivers, with the exception to section 5 of hte standard. The receiver must possess specific receiver requirements including Specific Area Message Encoding or SAME technology, that allows you to specify the particular area for which you wish to receive alerts. Weather Radio owners can easily program a SAME-equipped receiver with a six-digit FIPS code for a specific state and county location. This allows the listener to specify which alerts they desire to monitor when considering their location.

NWR SAME is the National Weather Service's (NWS) primary entry into the Emergency Alert System (EAS). The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) rules require broadcasters to monitor at least two independent sources for emergency information, ensuring that emergency information is received and delivered to viewers and listeners.