WEST TETONS & ISLAND PARK
RECEIVE NEW NOAA WEATHER RADIO ALL HAZARDS TRANSMITTER

Residents and visitors of Island Park and the western Teton Mountain Range area of Idaho and Wyoming now have access to weather information anytime, thanks to a new NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards transmitter recently installed at Relay Ridge, Idaho.

Residents of northeast Idaho and northwest Wyoming can tune to 162.450 MHz on NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards for the broadcasts from NOAA’s National Weather Service in Pocatello, Idaho. NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards, known as “The Voice of the National Weather Service,” is a continuous 24-hour source of the latest weather forecasts and warnings broadcast directly from the Pocatello forecast office.

“This radio broadcast has been made possible through a partnership between NOAA and the Teton County Civil Defense, with site facilities provided by the state of Idaho microwave services and grant funds provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utility Service,” said Rick Dittmann, meteorologist-in-charge of the Pocatello forecast office. “Together these partners now help us bring the National Weather Service’s vital information to people in the area.”

“Citizens can now have weather information available at their fingertips any time in the valleys and mountains of northeast Idaho,” Dittmann added. “The Relay Ridge transmitter significantly increases the weather service’s ability to reach the West Teton—Island Park region directly with weather warnings and forecasts. A NOAA Weather Radio in the home, car, truck, and other vehicles helps protect families, individuals and property.”

“NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards has the potential to make a big difference in protecting lives and property not only here in Teton County, but over a large portion northeast Idaho,” said Bob Dalton, Teton County civil defense director. “You can't stop Mother Nature, but with more warning, you can prepare.”

“Not only does this new warning system provide weather information, we now can place safety information directly on the airwaves via this new transmitter and alert our public to take protective actions during natural or man-made disasters. It will also provide a quick avenue to notify the community of an Amber Alert,” added Dalton.

“NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards allows us to send weather statements and warnings straight from the forecaster to the public in an effort to save lives and property,” said Vernon Preston, warning coordination meteorologist at the Pocatello forecast office.

“With a NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards network consisting of more than 950 transmitters, covering all 50 states, adjacent coastal waters, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and U.S. Pacific Territories, we have the capability to get critical warnings and environmental information to 95 percent of the U.S. population,” said Brig. Gen. David L. Johnson, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), director of NOAA’s National Weather Service. “NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards provides important weather information during natural or man-made disasters, and can be used to place safety information directly on the airwaves to directly alert the public to take protective actions.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is celebrating 200 years of science and service to the nation. From the establishment of the Survey of the Coast in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson to the formation of the Weather Bureau and the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries in the 1870s, much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.

On the Web:

NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov

NOAA’s National Weather Service: http://www.nws.noaa.gov

NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr

Local Office - National Weather Service in Pocatello: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/pocatello