SOUTHEAST UTAH GETS NOAA WEATHER RADIO COVERAGE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Weather Service (NOAA Weather Service) officials joined officials from the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service and communities in southeast Utah today to dedicate a new NOAA Weather Radio transmitter for southeast Utah. NOAA is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

According to Warning Coordination Meteorologist Jim Pringle of NOAA Weather Service forecast office in Grand Junction, Colo., the agency began broadcasts in a test mode over the Moab NOAA Weather Radio transmitter located on Bald Mesa in the La Sal Mountains, Utah, in November 2002. The 100-watt transmitter broadcasts on a frequency of 162.475 MHz.

The purchase and installation of the transmitter were accomplished through a joint effort by communities in Grand and San Juan Counties, the NOAA National Weather Service and the USDA Rural Utilities Service, which funded seventy five percent of the project. A complete list of donors is available at on the Web.

“Making this transmitter a reality is an excellent example of what the public and private sectors can accomplish in partnership to help keep the public informed about weather and safe from the impacts of severe weather,” Pringle said. “We’re proud to be a part of such a successful effort.”

The voice of the NOAA Weather Service and NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts originate at weather service forecast offices across the country. NOAA Weather Radio is an all hazards warning service that provides civil emergency messages and the quickest access to severe weather and flood warnings, as well as important weather information and forecasts around the clock 365 days a year.

Available at electronics and discount stores, NOAA Weather Radio receivers can be programmed to allow for remote activation by weather service broadcast codes that will sound a tone alarm and voice warning any time of the day or night. Scanners can also be used to tune in to the NOAA Weather Radio broadcast.

NOAA Weather Radio, sometimes referred to as the voice of the NOAA Weather Service, is a portable device that enables the public to receive continuous weather broadcasts and hazard alerts directly from local weather forecast offices. Transmitting from a network of over 750 stations nationwide—17 in Utah—the NOAA Weather Radio can be heard by about 95 percent of the U.S. population.

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

The Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 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.

On the Web:

NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov

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

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

USDA RUS Weather Radio Transmitter Grant Program: http://www.usda.gov/rus/telecom/initiatives/weatherradio.htm