National Hurricane Center Vision Statement -
To be America's calm, clear and trusted
voice in the eye of the storm,
and, with our partners, enable communities
to be safe from tropical weather threats.
CLICK HERE to listen to live NOAA weather forecasts for our area.
All Hazards Weather Radios
Virginia’s Eastern Shore receives weather information from the National Weather Service office in Wakefield VA. Every household and business should have a NOAA weather radio. It can alert you to weather warnings or watches anytime day or night. Put them in a location where their alarm can be heard. In the home, consider placing them in the bedroom. At a business location, place them in an area that is always occupied while the business is open.
The following information regarding NOAA All Hazards radios came from NOAA’s web site - http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/nwrrcvr.htm. Please visit this site for additional information.
NWR Receiver Consumer Information
NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards transmitters broadcast on one of seven VHF frequencies from 162.400 MHz to 162.550 MHz. The broadcasts cannot be heard on a simple AM/FM radio receiver. However, there are many receiver options, ranging from handheld portable units which just pick up Weather Radio - to desktop and console models which receive Weather Radio in addition to other broadcasts.
Where to Buy One
While NOAA's National Weather Service staff prepare and produce Weather Radio broadcasts, NWS neither manufactures nor sells receivers. Receivers can be found at many retail outlets, including electronics, department, sporting goods, and boat and marine accessory stores and their catalogs. They can also be purchased via the Internet from online retailers or directly from manufacturers.
Key Features
Depending on the information you want to access, and how and where you plan to access our broadcasts, you have many options. There are Standalone Weather Radio receivers as well as Multi-Band/Function Receivers with the Weather Band included. If you are want to be alerted to Warnings and Watches day or night, a Standalone receiver is best for you. If you just want to be able to tune to in the Weather Broadcast, a general multi-band/function receiver will work, but you will not be alerted by alarm to weather watches and warnings in your area.
Standalone Receivers might also come with AM/FM bands, but their primary use will be to receive Weather Radio broadcasts. You can choose between handheld and desktop models, depending on whether you will want to take your radio with you when you go out. There are many choices from a number of manufacturers with prices ranging from around $20 to over $100, depending on the number of features included.
Multi-Band/Function Receivers These receivers bundle a number of features, and Weather Radio is just one of possibly many frequency bands included.
Among the more useful features in a standalone receiver:
Tone alarm: The National Weather Service will send a 1050 Hz tone alarm before most warning and many watch messages are broadcast. The tone will activate all the receivers which are equipped to receive it, even if the audio is turned off. This is especially useful for warnings which occur during the night when most people are asleep.
SAME technology: SAME, or Specific Alert Message Encoding allows you to specify the particular area for which you wish to receive alerts. Most warnings and watches broadcast over NOAA Weather Radio are county- or independent city-based. Since most NWR transmitters are broadcasting for a number of counties, SAME receivers will respond only to alerts issued for the area (or areas) you have selected. This minimizes the number of “false alarms” for events which might be a few counties away from where you live.
Battery backup: Since power outages often occur during storms, having a receiver with battery backup can be crucial. However, unless you have a portable unit which you will use away from other power sources, an AC power connection is recommended.
External antenna jack: While most receivers come with a whip antenna which can usually be extended out from the unit, depending on your location you may need an external antenna to get a good reception. Some receivers come with an external antenna jack (normally in the back of the unit) that allows you to connect to a larger antenna (indoors or outdoors). You can often purchase these as accessories at the place where you bought your receiver, or from most stores with an electronics department. NWR broadcasts are in the Public Service VHF frequencies, just above FM radio and between TV channels 6 and 7 - so an antenna designed for VHF televisions or FM radios should work.
SAME codes for Virginia’s Eastern Shore:
Accomack County SAME # 051001
Northampton County SAME # 051131
Worcester County, MD SAME # 024047
Local Marine Codes (Enter as a SAME Code)
North Beach to Drum Point 073533
Drum Point to Smith Point 073534
Smith Point to Windmill Point 073630
Windmill Point to New Point Comfort 073631
New Point Comfort to Cape Henry 073632
