History of NOAA Weather Radio in Timeline

NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) is a 24/7 network of VHF FM weather radio stations in the U.S., broadcasting weather information from the National Weather Service. Its programming includes local forecasts, climate summaries, and specific forecasts for zones, lakes, or coastal waters. During hazardous weather, it broadcasts outlooks, short-term forecasts, special weather statements, and tropical weather summaries. NWR also broadcasts non-weather alerts like Amber alerts, civil emergencies, and national security statements through the Emergency Alert System. The automated system recycles broadcast segments and consistently updates information to each transmitter.

1960: Marine Weather Broadcasts Begin

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

1965: Kansas City Station Added

In 1965, KID77 in Kansas City, home to the Severe Local Storms Center, was added as the third continuous VHF radio transmitter to the Weather Bureau network.

1965: Recommendation for Nationwide Radio Network

In the wake of the 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak, the U.S. Weather Bureau's storm survey team recommended establishing a nationwide radio network to broadcast weather warnings.

1966: ESSA VHF Weather Radio Network Started

Starting in 1966, the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA) initiated a nationwide program called "ESSA VHF Weather Radio Network."

January 1967: Honolulu Station Operational

By January 1967, the fourth continuous VHF radio transmitter, KBA99 in Honolulu, was operational.

September 1969: Expansion to Coastal Locations after Hurricane Camille

In September 1969, in the wake of Hurricane Camille, the NOAA Weather Radio service was expanded to coastal locations based upon recommendations made by the Department of Commerce after the storm.

1969: KHB47 in New London Used 163.275 MHz

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

1970: Expansion and Name Change

In 1970, ESSA listed 20 U.S. cities using VHF Radio Weather frequencies, and the U.S. Weather Bureau became the National Weather Service (NWS) under NOAA, operating 29 VHF-FM weather-radio transmitters.

1970: KHB47 Switched to 162.400 MHz

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

1970: Frequency Addition of 162.400 MHz

In 1970, the 162.400 MHz frequency was added to the NOAA Weather Radio network.

1970: Second Frequency Added

In 1970, to avoid interference and allow for more specific area coverage, the number of frequencies in use by multiple stations grew to two with the addition of 162.400 MHz.

September 1972: Denver Becomes 60th NWR Station

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

1972: WWG75 Switched to 162.400 MHz

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

1974: NOAA Weather Radio Reaches 44% of US Population

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

1975: Frequency Addition of 162.475 MHz

In 1975, the 162.475 MHz frequency was added to the NOAA Weather Radio network.

1975: Third Frequency Added

In 1975, the third frequency (162.475 MHz) was added to the NOAA Weather Radio network.

December 1976: 100 Stations Transmitting

By December 1976, approximately 100 stations were transmitting on three channels as part of NOAA Weather Radio.

May 1978: NWR Reaches 200 Stations

In May 1978, NOAA Weather Radio reached 200 radio stations with the addition of WXK49 in Memphis, Tennessee.

September 1979: 300 Stations in Operation

By September 1979, NOAA Weather Radio had grown to 300 stations with the addition of WXL45 in Columbia, Missouri.

1981: Remaining Frequencies Come into Use

By 1981, the remaining four frequencies (162.425, 162.450, 162.500 & 162.525 MHz) came into use on the NOAA Weather Radio network.

1981: Additional Frequencies Introduced

In 1981, the frequencies 162.425, 162.450, 162.500 & 162.525 MHz were introduced to the NOAA Weather Radio network.

1988: NWS Operates About 380 Stations

By 1988, the National Weather Service (NWS) operated about 380 stations covering approximately 90 percent of the nation's population.

1995: Budget Approved for SAME Technology Development

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

1997: SAME Adopted by Emergency Alert System

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

1997: Nationwide Implementation of SAME and EAS Adoption

In 1997, nationwide implementation of SAME occurred on NOAA Weather Radio, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted the SAME standard as part of its new Emergency Alert System (EAS).

1997: Console Replacement System Deployed

In 1997, the Console Replacement System (CRS) was deployed at NWS weather forecast offices to manage transmitters and speed warning delivery, introducing a computerized voice nicknamed "Paul" based on DECtalk technology.

May 1999: Over 500 Radio Stations in Operation

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

2001: Over 800 Stations by the End of 2001

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

2002: Introduction of New Computerized Voices

In 2002, "Craig", "Tom", and "Donna" voices were introduced on NOAA Weather Radio using the Speechify text-to-speech system from SpeechWorks to replace "Paul" who was considered dissatisfactory and difficult to understand. "Javier" was also introduced later.

2002: Introduction of Improved Voices via Voice Improvement Plan

In 2002, the National Weather Service contracted with Siemens and SpeechWorks to introduce improved, more natural voices via the Voice Improvement Plan (VIP), including "Craig" and "Donna".

2003: Additional Upgrades to the Voice Improvement Plan

In 2003, additional upgrades to the Voice Improvement Plan (VIP) improved "Donna", introduced "Tom", and added a Spanish voice, "Javier", at some 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 Alerting

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

September 2008: Walgreens Utilizes SAME Technology for Weather Alerts

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

2009: Electronics Industry Standard CEA-2009

As of 2009, radio models marketed as "Public Alert-certified" must include specific features and meet certain performance criteria, as specified in electronics industry standard CEA-2009.

2012: Miami NWR Station Established

In 2012, Miami established NWR station WZ2531 in Hialeah, broadcasting weather information in Spanish.

2014: Brownsville NWR Station Established

In 2014, Brownsville established NWR stations WZ2541 in Pharr and WZ2542 in Harlingen, broadcasting weather information in Spanish.

2016: Coverage and Transmitter Count

As of 2016, there are over a thousand NOAA Weather Radio transmitters across the U.S., covering 95% of the population.

2016: New "Paul" Voice Introduced

In 2016, a completely new "Paul" voice from the VoiceText text-to-speech system was introduced and implemented nationwide on NOAA Weather Radio.

2016: Broadcast Message Handler (BMH) Replaces CRS

In 2016, the NWS replaced CRS systems with the Broadcast Message Handler (BMH), featuring an improved "Paul" voice and a Spanish voice named "Violetta".

April 2017: Wunderadio Live Streams Discontinued

In April 2017, Weather Underground's Wunderadio section, a prominent internet audio streaming service for NOAA Weather Radio stations, discontinued its live streams.

January 1, 2019: ASM Designations

Effective January 1, 2019, channels 2027 (161.950 MHz, 27B) and 2028 (162.000 MHz, 28B) are 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 approximately 1,032 NOAA Weather Radio stations in operation across the United States and its territories, providing over 95% effective coverage.