NOAA Weather Radios

[brunota2003]

Below is a little blog I wrote up on my site about the importance of NOAA Wx Radios...with this recent tornado in Florida, I figured I might post this, just encase someone is looking into buying a wx radio or does not have one/know about them:

I have talked before about NOAA Weather Radios and how they can and do save lives when severe weather strikes. If you do not have a NOAA Weather Radio, you need to buy one. The NWS even states they should be like smoke and fire detectors, with each house hold having at least one, as well as schools and businesses. If I were to buy one, I would buy one with the S.A.M.E technology in it, as I hate being woken up in the middle of the night, only to find out that the warning was for another county possibly up to 50 miles away.

Make sure, if you buy one, that it plugs into a wall for its main power source (unless its a portable one) and also make sure that it can use batteries as well; as if the power goes out you will still want to be able to receive any watches or warning that are issued.

For more information on what you can get with NOAA Wx Radios (depending on the brand) please visit this site here:
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/nwrrcvr.htm
If you would like to purchase one, you can go to this site or to a local electronics store and pick one up:
http://www.ambientweather.com/noaaradio.html

For the SAME radios, you will need to enter a code for your specific county, you can find this code at this link:
http://www.weather.gov/nwr/indexnw.htm#sametable
There should be instructions with your new radio, telling you how to enter the SAME Code properly, as well as how to use your new radio.

Also, an example of how they can save lives can be found here: (Link no longer works)
Now, in the article, it does not state whether or not they had NOAA Weather Radios, however everyone most likely did receive the warning by either TV, Wx Radio, or regular radio...all of which get their warnings from NOAA Weather Radio. They save lives...especially at night when everyone is asleep...I have been woken up by mine multiple times...so I would have the benefit of knowing by experience that the things do wake you up!

[TexasStooge]

It's a very interesting topic here. I got my first NOAA Weather Radio on my 13th birthday, and it works rather well.

[Stephanie]

Thanks brunota for that important information.

[CrazyC83]

I've been looking for one for a long time and cannot seem to find one. Maybe if I visit Tornado Alley I will get one...

[Brent]

I've been looking for one for a long time and cannot seem to find one. Maybe if I visit Tornado Alley I will get one...

They don't sell them at Radio Shack?

If all else fails, you can always order online.

I've had one for years and I like it... make sure you get one with SAME capability.

[CrazyC83]

I've been looking for one for a long time and cannot seem to find one. Maybe if I visit Tornado Alley I will get one...

They don't sell them at Radio Shack?

If all else fails, you can always order online.

I've had one for years and I like it... make sure you get one with SAME capability.

Not up here, at least I haven't found one.

[TampaFl]

I've been looking for one for a long time and cannot seem to find one. Maybe if I visit Tornado Alley I will get one...

If you have a Home Depot or Lowes, they carry them (at least here in the Tampa Bay area)

[Orlando_wx]

Thanks brunota2003 after this event time to invest in one thanks

John

[conestogo_flood]

Always have fun with the overnight activations for advisories... woke up the entire family last night for the first time since we got ours for a wind chill warning. My mom thought the smoke alarms were sounding.

[isobar]

After the deadly Evansville tornado in Nov 2005 (which also struck during overnight hours), local businesses and media teamed together with Midland Radio to supply and subsidize weather radios to the community at a reduced cost. Their WR100 model normally sells for $49.95, but has since been available in this area for $29.99. They've sold over 50,000 since, making us one of the highest coverage density areas in the country. Man, I hope they do something like that in Florida.

The young Evansville mother, Kathryn Martin, who lost her 2 year old son in the tornado and who was featured on a Storm Stories episode, was in Indianapolis this past week pushing for a bill mandating the installation of weather radios in all new mobile home production. And do you believe the Indiana Manufactured Housing Association is opposing the bill saying warning phone calls, sirens, and other methods are better ways to notify people??? What a dork! I suspect the tragic Florida tornado will give this bill a boost.

Oh yeah, sirens aren't the answer. They're not going to wake you up if you're inside sleeping and it's pouring rain, wind, thunder, etc. Believe me, I have one less than 1 mile away, and I can't hear it when it's raining. Their purpose is alerting the public caught outside.

Not having a weather radio in any home, especially a mobile home, is like playing Russian Roullette with your family's lives. The public needs to "get it" that Tornado Alley isn't the only area at risk.

[Brent]

Always have fun with the overnight activations for advisories... woke up the entire family last night for the first time since we got ours for a wind chill warning. My mom thought the smoke alarms were sounding.

You can set them where they won't go off for that.

[brunota2003]

Frankly...I looked at the topic this morning and there were no posts...so I was amazed to come home and find so many posts in it You can set you radio so it wont go off for select warnings, if you have the right type...check your owners manual to see if you can do that...

[southerngale]

Amazon has a nice assortment to choose from. That's where I bought mine. You can get a good description and read reviews on them. I wouldn't want to buy something like that in person anyway, without first reading the reviews. If it doesn't have a perfect rating, that doesn't mean it isn't a great product. Sometimes people complain about the silliest things or things that don't bother me in the least. Amazon or a similar site is the way to go, IMO. Free shipping at Amazon though, and usually good sales too. But wherever you choose, everyone should have at least one weather alert in their house.

We don't have tornado sirens here either, which is why I don't understand why some people don't have weather alerts. I can't imagine not having that to warm me of watches and warnings. If I'm awake and where I can, I usually keep up enough online that I know when there's a potential threat, but if I'm sleeping...I count on that thing!

It just doesn't make sense not to have one and to rely on your evening news for all of your weather information. Things can obviously change after the news goes off.

Here's the one I bought about a year ago and I like it a lot. It replaced another Midland, but the other one didn't have S.A.M.E. and I wanted that. I didn't need to be woke up to Special Marine Warnings, since I wasn't sleeping in the Gulf of Mexico.




Click on the picture above to see this item at Amazon. There are many others to choose from as well, more expensive and less expensive. Just do a search for "weather alert" or "midland weather alert" whatever.

[TexasSam]

I have a 10 year old one that goes off for everything in the Houston - Galveston area.
It's a large area, and the thing goes off all the time. Well it used to, I don't keep it on all the time anymore, I just turn it on if the weather might get bas late at night, it's also good that it keeps working even when the power goes off (if I rember to put a new battery in).

[brunota2003]

Bumping this thread up for those who may not have a NOAA Wx Radio, as it appears a deadly outbreak is going to occur tomorrow (thursday March 1, 2007 for future reference)

[CrazyC83]

Good time to bump this! I finally found one, but need the money to buy one! (First paychecks hopefully in April, which is about the time I have to be concerned)

[senorpepr]

I'll echo Crazy's remarks... this is a great time to bump this. Thanks for writing this up, brunota2003. Great information.

[simplykristi]

If you do not have a weather radio with the warning alarm and live in an area prone to severe weather, get one! Mine went off numerous times last night with all the severe weather around. It is good to set it up for the counties around you.

Kristi

[isobar]

Good point Kristi, re: setting it for surrounding counties, particularly if you live near a border. I have mine also set for the counties directly south and west. It's a good idea for fast moving storms, like the ones today.

KC area got clobbered last night! Those cells were scary looking. Looks like most were south of town.

[simplykristi]

Yes the tornadic storms were south of here/ We sure got some hail and flooding here in the metro area. I can get warnings for Linn, Miami, Franklin, and Douglas Counties in KS (couties just outside of the metro area in KS) and Bates, Henry, Johnson, Pettis, Lafayette, Carroll, Clinton, and Ray Counties in MO (counties just outside of the metro area in MO).

My friend even has one for her lake place down by Truman Lake.

I cannot stress the importance of a weather radio with the alarm alerts!

Kristi