History of NOAA Weather Radio in Timeline

NOAA Weather Radio (NWR), also known as NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards, is a 24/7 network of VHF FM weather radio stations broadcasting weather information from the National Weather Service. The routine cycle includes forecasts, synopses, and climate summaries, and is updated during hazardous weather with outlooks, short-term forecasts, and summaries. It also broadcasts non-weather alerts like AMBER Alerts, disaster information, and other hazards through the Emergency Alert System. NWR uses automated technology, allowing segments to be recycled and consistently updated across transmitters.

1960: Marine Weather Broadcasts Begin

In 1960, the U.S. Weather Bureau initiated experimental broadcasts of marine weather information on two VHF radio stations located in Chicago and New York City.

1965: Recommendation for a Nationwide Radio Network

Following the 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak, the U.S. Weather Bureau's storm survey team recommended the establishment of a nationwide radio network for broadcasting weather warnings.

1965: KID77 in Kansas City Added

In 1965, KID77 in Kansas City, home to the Severe Local Storms Center, became the third continuous VHF radio transmitter.

1966: ESSA VHF Weather Radio Network Started

In 1966, the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA) started a nationwide program known as "ESSA VHF Weather Radio Network."

January 1967: KBA99 in Honolulu Begins Operating

In January 1967, KBA99 in Honolulu, Hawaii, started operating as the fourth continuous VHF radio transmitter for the Weather Bureau.

September 1969: Service Expansion Following Hurricane Camille

In September 1969, following recommendations made by the Department of Commerce after Hurricane Camille, the NOAA Weather Radio service expanded to coastal locations.

1969: KHB47 uses 163.275 MHz

In 1969, KHB47 in New London, Connecticut initially used 163.275 MHz.

1970: KHB47 Switches to 162.400 MHz

In 1970, KHB47 in New London, Connecticut, switched to 162.400 MHz to avoid overlapping with KWO35 in New York.

1970: ESSA transitions to NOAA

In 1970, the U.S. Weather Bureau adopted the name National Weather Service (NWS), operating 29 VHF-FM weather-radio transmitters under the newly formed National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which replaced ESSA. The NOAA weather radio service was designed to provide boaters, fishermen, and travelers with timely weather updates.

1970: Addition of 162.400 MHz Frequency

In 1970, the frequency 162.400 MHz was added to the NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) channels.

September 1972: Denver Becomes 60th NWR Station

In September 1972, Denver became the 60th NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) station.

1972: WWG75 Switches to 162.400 MHz

By 1972, WWG75 transmitting from Mt. Haleakala on Maui also switched to 162.400 MHz.

1974: NOAA Weather Radio Expands

By 1974, NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) had expanded its reach to cover approximately 44 percent of the U.S. population through 66 nationwide transmitters.

1975: Addition of Third Frequency

In 1975, a third frequency, 162.475 MHz, was added to the NOAA Weather Radio service to further improve coverage and reduce interference.

December 1976: 100 Stations Transmitting on Three Channels

By December 1976, there were roughly 100 NOAA Weather Radio stations transmitting on three channels.

May 1978: NWR Reaches 200 Stations

In May 1978, the NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) network reached 200 radio stations with WXK49 in Memphis, Tennessee.

September 1979: NWR Reaches 300 Stations

In September 1979, the NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) network reached 300 stations with WXL45 in Columbia, Missouri.

1981: Introduction of Remaining Frequencies

By 1981, the remaining four frequencies (162.425, 162.450, 162.500, and 162.525 MHz) were brought into use for the NOAA Weather Radio network.

1988: NWS Operates About 380 Stations

By 1988, the NWS operated about 380 stations covering approximately 90 percent of the nation's population.

1995: Funding Secured for SAME Technology Development

In 1995, the U.S. government provided the budget needed to develop the Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) technology across the entire NOAA Weather Radio network.

1997: SAME Alert Protocol Adopted by EAS

In 1997, NOAA's SAME alert protocol was adopted and put into use by the Emergency Alert System (EAS), replacing the earlier Emergency Broadcast System (EBS).

1997: Console Replacement System (CRS) Deployed

In 1997, the Console Replacement System (CRS) was deployed at NWS weather forecast offices to manage the increasing number of transmitters and speed up the delivery of warning messages to the public. CRS introduced a computerized voice nicknamed "Paul", using a text-to-speech system.

1997: Nationwide Implementation of SAME and EAS

In 1997, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted the SAME standard as part of its new Emergency Alert System (EAS), leading to nationwide implementation. NOAA Weather Radio's responsibilities expanded to broadcast "all hazards" in addition to hazardous weather events.

May 1999: Over 500 Radio Stations

By May 1999, the NOAA Weather Radio network grew to over 500 radio stations.

2001: Over 800 Radio Stations

By the end of 2001, the NOAA Weather Radio network had grown to over 800 radio stations.

2002: Introduction of "Craig", "Tom", and "Donna"

In 2002, "Craig", "Tom," and "Donna" were introduced as computerized voices using the Speechify text-to-speech system, in an effort to improve voice quality as the original "Paul" voice was found to be unsatisfactory and difficult to understand.

2002: Introduction of Improved Voices

In 2002, the National Weather Service contracted with Siemens Information and Communication and SpeechWorks to introduce improved, more natural voices. The Voice Improvement Plan (VIP) was implemented, introducing one male voice ("Craig"), and one female voice ("Donna").

2003: Additional Upgrades to Voice System

In 2003, additional upgrades improved "Donna" and introduced an improved male voice nicknamed "Tom", which had variable intonation based on the urgency of the report. A Spanish voice, "Javier", was also added at a few sites.

April 2004: "Public Alert-certified" Radio Models

Since April 2004, radio models marketed as "Public Alert-certified" must include specific features and meet certain performance criteria.

2004: Canada Integrates SAME into Weatheradio Canada

In 2004, Environment Canada integrated SAME alerting capability into its Weatheradio Canada network.

September 2008: Walgreens Utilizes SAME Technology

In September 2008, Walgreens announced it would utilize SAME technology to deliver local weather alerts via LED billboards outside its drugstore locations.

2009: Electronics Industry Standard CEA-2009

In 2009, the electronics industry standard CEA-2009 specifies the features and performance criteria required for "Public Alert-certified" radio models.

2012: Miami broadcasts in Spanish

In 2012, Miami (WZ2531 in Hialeah) began broadcasting weather information in Spanish, separate from its corresponding English-language channel.

2014: Brownsville broadcasts in Spanish

In 2014, Brownsville (WZ2541 in Pharr and WZ2542 in Harlingen) began broadcasting weather information in Spanish, separate from its corresponding English-language channel.

2016: Over a Thousand NWR Transmitters

As of 2016, there were over a thousand NWR transmitters across the U.S., covering 95% of the population.

2016: New "Paul" Voice Introduced

In 2016, a completely new voice from the VoiceText text-to-speech system, also named "Paul", was introduced and implemented nationwide by late in the year to improve the NOAA Weather Radio voice quality.

2016: BMH System Replaces CRS

In 2016, the NWS replaced almost all of the CRS systems with the Broadcast Message Handler (BMH). The BMH units replaced "Donna" and "Tom" with an improved "Paul" voice and "Javier" with "Violetta".

April 2017: Wunderadio discontinued live streams

In April 2017, Wunderadio, a section of the Weather Underground website, discontinued live streams of NWR broadcasts.

January 1, 2019: ASM Channels Designated

Effective January 1, 2019, channels 2027 (161.950 MHz, 27B) and 2028 (162.000 MHz, 28B) were designated as ASM 1 and ASM 2 respectively for application specific messages (ASM).

January 2020: Over 1,032 Stations in Operation

As of January 2020, there were about 1,032 NOAA Weather Radio stations in operation across fifty states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and Saipan, covering over 95% of the population.