NEW NOAA WEATHER RADIO ALL-HAZARDS TRANSMITTER
NOW SERVING SOUTHEAST IOWA AND NORTH-CENTRAL MISSOURI

Meteorologists from NOAA’s National Weather Service in Des Moines, Iowa, will join local officials in formally dedicating a new NOAA Weather Radio All-Hazards transmitter, serving parts of southeast Iowa and north-central Missouri.

“Operation of this transmitter is an excellent example of what the federal government can accomplish in partnership with local officials to help keep the public informed about weather and to keep them safe from the impacts of hazardous weather. We’re proud to be part of such a successful effort,” said Brenda Brock, meteorologist-in-charge of the National Weather Service forecast office in Des Moines.

The 300-watt transmitter will broadcast on a frequency of 162.500 MHz, providing weather forecast and warning information to residents in parts of Appanoose, Davis, Lucas, Mahaska, Monroe, Wapello and Wayne counties in Iowa and Putnam County, Missouri

The transmitter will provide faster access to future warnings of severe weather and floods and broadcasts to a range of 40 miles, depending on terrain. Dedication of the transmitter will be held at 9:30 a.m., on Oct. 26 at the Hotel Ottumwa.

Known as “The Voice of the National Weather Service,” NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts originate from the operations area of the agency’s 123 forecast offices around the country. NOAA Weather Radio is an all-hazards warning service, which provides non-weather emergency messages and the quickest access to severe weather and flood warnings, as well as providing important weather information and forecasts around the clock, 365 days a year.

“With the NOAA Weather Radio network consisting of more than 900 transmitters in 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, USAF (Ret.), director of NOAA’s National Weather Service. “NOAA Weather Radio 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.”

Available for purchase at electronics and discount stores, NOAA Weather Radio All-Hazards receivers come in many sizes with a variety of functions. Most receivers are seven-channel, battery-powered portables or AC-powered desktop models with battery backup. Many receivers sound an alarm automatically and turn themselves on if a severe weather warning is broadcast by the National Weather Service and can be programmed to warn for weather and non-weather emergencies in a specific county or other defined area. Some televisions, scanners, Ham radios, CB radios, short wave receivers and AM/FM radios are also capable of receiving NOAA Weather Radio All-Hazards transmissions.

NOAA’s National Weather Service is the primary source of weather data, forecasts and warnings for the United States and its territories. NOAA’s National Weather Service operates the most advanced weather and flood warning and forecast system in the world, helping protect lives and property and to enhance the national economy.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather- and climate-related events and 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 and nearly 60 countries to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes.

On the Web:

NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov

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

National Weather Service in Des Moines, Iowa: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/dmx

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