Severe Weather Awareness Week 2010 - NOAA Weather Radio and EAS

This is post #6 in a series published for Severe Weather Awareness Week 2010. Today's post focuses on NOAA Weather Radio and the Emergency Alert System.

...NOAA Weather Radio and the Emergency Alert System...

Weather radio is the voice of the National Weather Service. It provides continuous weather information 24 hours a day every day of the year. The nationwide network of weather radio stations provides the public with the fastest most reliable source of
up-to-date weather information directly from the National Weather Service.

You need a special radio to receive weather radio broadcasts... a radio that is capable of receiving signals in the very high frequency public service band. In Memphis, the National Weather Service broadcasts on a frequency of 162.475 MHz.

Broadcasts may vary but generally include area forecasts... present weather conditions... short-term forecasts... climatic data... river and lake stage forecasts... and other specialized information. The broadcasts are updated continuously.

Weather radio is useful anytime... but it is most important when severe weather threatens. During periods of severe weather routine programming is interrupted and the focus shifted to the local severe weather threat. In an emergency... a warning alarm tone is broadcast that activates specially designed receivers to turn on automatically... or to produce a visual or audible alarm.

A primary source of weather information is the emergency alert system. EAS is a system of communications links that utilize data in a digital form. It is a reliable means of linking the National Weather Service... emergency management agencies... and the radio and television broadcast media together. EAS helps participating radio and television stations receive and relay weather warnings and other emergency information in a timely manner.

For more information on weather radio... contact the National Weather Service office in Memphis Tennessee.

Did you know that you can get a FREE Midland WR-100 NOAA Weather Radio like the one pictured above? MemphisWeather.net is running two advertising specials this month that will net you a free radio, already programmed to alert for your county! Rates are very competitive and our audience is regional. Click the link above for more information on how to get a free radio.

MemphisWeather.net provides the latest severe weather information, including flood and flash flood warnings, for the Memphis metropolitan area. This includes all watches and warnings, an interactive severe weather map of the Mid-South, and free delivery of severe weather alerts for the metro area via e-mail and Twitter. Find these services under the "Severe" menu on MemphisWeather.net.

Most of this post's content courtesy of the National Weather Service.