NOAA Weather Radio FAQs – Midland

Q: What is NOAA Weather Radio?

A: NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information direct from a nearby National Weather Service office. NWR broadcasts National Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts, and other hazard information 24 hours a day. For more information visit the NWS website.

Q: Why do I need a NOAA Weather Radio?

A: Weather radios equipped with a siren feature will sound a weather alert giving immediate information about a life-threatening situation. It's the fastest and most reliable way to receive official warnings.

Weather radios are often referred to as "indoor tornado sirens" because they broadcast tornado warnings as soon as they are issues and can wake you while sleeping. Outdoor storm sirens are meant only for warning people outdoors and may not be heard at night or during a loud thunderstorm.

All Hazards Weather Alert Radios will sound for a variety of situations, including severe weather, hurricanes, tornadoes, Amber alerts & non-weather civil emergencies. Portable versions of NWR like the Midland ER50 E+Ready® Emergency Weather Alert Crank Radio provide localized alerts to travelers, storm watchers and outdoorsmen.

"Any radio" won't do because only a weather radio can receive NOAA broadcasts. A weather radio that can run on back-up batteries is the only way to ensure you receive severe weather and public alerts even without electricity.

While cellphones are great, towers can become overwhelmed, destroyed, or damaged. This could result in a significant delay in receiving an alert or you might not receive one at all. It is important to have multiple, redundant ways of receiving your emergency and weather alerts.

Q: How do I program my weather radio?

A: Please use the following links for helpful programming info specific to your radio, with accompanying videos:

Q: Why are all the LED lights flashing on my WR120? Or why is my radio randomly beeping?

A: The flashing of the lights and occasional beeping of the unit typically is caused when the radio has not received a Required Weekly Test (RWT) for more than 10 days.

To turn the lights off, locate the ON/OFF switch on the right-hand side of the radio. Turn it to OFF, then ON again. This should clear the flashing lights. As these lights were indicating the radio hadn't received the RWT, you will need to check your radio's setup and signal reception:

When you press WEATHER/SNOOZE, do you hear the voice of the National Weather Service? Is the voice coming in clear, or is it partially static? If you hear some static you may need to extend the antenna or move the radio to a different place in your house where signal reception is better. You want a good, clear signal free of static so the radio can receive alert tones and activate automatically.
If all you hear is static when you press the WEATHER/SNOOZE button, press MENU and look at the display window. Press the arrow up or arrow down until you see SET CHANNEL. Press SELECT. Arrow up or down though the seven NOAA channels/frequencies until you find a signal that is the clearest and most free of static. Press SELECT to monitor this channel.
It is possible for your radio to tune to a NOAA channel that is too distant from you and is not designate to serve your county. In other words, you could hear a NOAA broadcast, but your weather radio would never alert you. Your flashing lights, or the display message CHECK RECEPTION might indicate your radio is tuned to an incorrect NOAA channel/frequency for your county.
To find the proper NOAA channel/frequency, visit this webpage. Click on your state and locate the name of your county. If your county is listed just once, there is only one NOAA channel/frequency that serves your county and you must use SET CHANNEL to tune to that particular station. It will be listed by its call letters, and its frequency. Use SET CHANNEL to set your radio to monitor that frequency, then press SELECT to lock it in.
If your county is listed more than once, it means there are multiple transmitters that serve your county, and they are identified by call letters and frequency. Using SET CHANNEL and the up/down arrows, find which of these channels/frequencies gives you the clearest signal. Press SELECT to choose that county.
The other reason the LED lights might be flashing could be weak or failing batteries. Although the AA alkaline batteries are for back-up power and are only used during a power outage, we recommend they be replaced once a year. Fresh batteries will reduce the risk of acid leakage, which could also cause the LED lights to flash.

Q: What are S.A.M.E. codes and how to I find the right one for my county?

A. Specific Area Messaging Encoding, or S.A.M.E., is the National Weather Service's way to direct their alerts to certain geographical areas. For example, if you live in Florida, you likely do not need to be alerted of an avalanche warning in Colorado. By using this coding system, the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Emergency Alert System (EAS) can notify individuals and communities of only the alerts that directly impact them, thereby reducing unnecessary alarms. With approximately 50 NOAA weather stations around the country,, it is necessary to link your weather alert radio to the appropriate station.

Although you may be able to tune into a NWS station to hear the weather, doesn't mean that station broadcasts warnings and alerts. It is important to reference the SWS's complete listing of S.A.M.E. codes for each county. This list of county S.A.M.E. codes will provide maps of alert areas helping you choose the appropriate S.A.M.E. code for your radio.

Q: Why am I not receiving the required weekly test?

A: Desktop weather radios default to a "silent" weekly test. During the test, the "ADVISORY" light illuminates and "Required Weekly Test" will be visible on the display. The radio will not sound an audible alert tone to avoid giving the impression of an actual alarm. The visual response to the test is confirmation that your radio is working properly.

To receive an audible weekly test, go to Menu - Use the up or down arrows to find Set Events - hit Select (or enter for the WR400). Set to All On and press Select.

If you want to single out alerts you don't want to hear, go to Menu - Set Event - Edit Events. Press and hold the down arrow until you get to Required Weekly Test and hit Select, then turn to On and press Select again. Then press Menu until the radio displays "Saving" on the screen.

Q: We've had severe weather, but I haven't gotten any alerts. What's going on?

Ensure the ON/OFF switch is ON
Do you hear anything when you press the WEATHER/SNOOZE button?
Ensure you are tuned to the proper CHANNEL for your county.
Ensure SET LOCATION is set to your county, and not a county in a different state.
Is your local transmitter on the air and operating properly? You can check that here.
Has your county truly had a severe weather that would produce an alert? Often times, while there might have been severe weather in your area, your county was not included or affected by any of the warnings, so an alert would not have sounded.
Ensure your batteries are in good working condition.
Try moving the radio to a better location If "NOAA" is blinking on the display, it means the radio is not receiving 100% signal strength.
SET EVENTS should be set to ALL DEFAULT, or ALL ON. If SET EVENTS is ALL OFF, the radio will still receive Tornado Warnings (as per NOAA regulations), but it would not sound for Severe Thunderstorm, Flash Flood and other warnings. You can find a full list of default alerts here.

Q: How do I delete a county on my WR120?

A: By setting the radio for a single location, you are telling the radio to alert only for location #1 and to ignore all other locations. Location #1, the first county you program into your radio, should always be the county in which your home is located. Follow the below instructions if you have programmed in multiple counties and want to revert to only your home county.

Press MENU
Press up or down arrow buttons until display shows SET LOCATION
Press SELECT
Display should say MULTIPLE
Press SELECT
Press up or down arrow until you arrive at the county you want to eliminate
Press the right arrow
Press the down arrow
Hash marks will appear, indicating the county has been deleted
Press SELECT
Press MENU twice to save changes

If you originally programmed multiple counties in your radio but no longer want to hear those warnings, you can eliminate all counties except the single county you live in.

Press MENU
Press up or down arrow button until display shows SET LOCATION
Press SELECT
Press up or down arrow button until display shows SINGLE
Press SELECT
Press MENU twice to save changes

Q: How can I reset my WR120 NOAA weather radio?

A: Unplug the radio from the wall. Make sure the batteries are still good. If they are, the clock will appear in the display window. If the display window is blank, put in a fresh set of batteries.

With the radio unplugged from the wall, and working batteries installed, remove one battery from the radio. As you replace the battery into the radio, press and hold the large WEATHER/SNOOZE button on the from of the radio. Keep the button pushed while the battery is replaced. Once the battery is replaced, the display window will indicate that the WR120 radio is RESET, at which point you can release the WEATHER/SNOOZE button and proceed to reprogram the radio. It will behave just as if you removed a new radio from the box.

Q: Will my weather radio still work in case of a power outage?

A: Although your radio is primarily powered by the A/C power from the outlet, make sure to install AA batteries in your radio. In the event of a power outage, you'll want your NOAA weather radio to have a backup power source.

Q: I am getting static that seems to originate from my power cord, but switching to a new cord didn't fix the issue. What should I do?

A: First, try plugging it into a different outlet, in a different area of your house. If that does not solve it, it is very likely that you are getting interference from other electronics in your house, such as a Wi-Fi router. In these cases, we recommend purchasing a ferrite core, which is a noise suppressor for electronics.

Q: I am not seeing any of the emergency radio models supporting the S.A.M.E. technology like WR120 and the WR400. Will a portable emergency radio be available anytime soon that supports S.A.M.E. technology?

A: At present, we don't foresee having portable radios with S.A.M.E. technology. The benefit of these on the go emergency radios, is that you receive local weather, at the press of a button, no matter where in the United States you travel, with no programming needed.