Coachella Valley Water District Installs West’s First Spanish-language NOAA Weather Transmitter

Residents in California's Coachella Valley now have access to weather information anytime in Spanish thanks to a new NOAA All Hazards Radio transmitter installed on Cactus Peak. NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The new transmitter, installed and maintained by the Coachella Valley Water District with programming provided by NOAA’s National Weather Service in San Diego, will serve residents, businesses and agricultural areas throughout the Coachella Valley, from Palm Springs in the north to El Centro in the south, as well as parts of northern Baja California, Mexico. This radio is the first Spanish-language radio in the west and only the second in the nation, providing a direct link to the latest NWS forecasts and warnings. Residents of the Coachella Valley can tune to 162.525 MHz on the weather radio for the broadcasts effective immediately. NOAA All Hazards Radio, 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 NWS Forecast Offices.

“This partnership with the Coachella Valley Water District and the National Weather Service brings a new level of service to the Spanish-speaking population in the area,” said Jim Purpura, meteorologist-in-charge of the San Diego NWS Weather Forecast Office. “Spanish-speaking residents and visitors can now have weather information available at their fingertips any time of the day or night in the Coachella Valley.”

The Cactus Peak transmitter significantly increases the NWS ability to reach the Spanish-speaking community of Coachella Valley with vital weather warnings and forecasts. A seven band NOAA Weather Radio in the car, truck or home helps protect families, individuals and property.

“Weather broadcasts are a valuable resource to our community, so we are proud to be able to offer the same resource to Coachella Valley’s Spanish speaking residents,” said Steve Robbins, CVWD general manager-chief engineer. “While most of the Coachella Valley is protected from major flooding, there are still flood-prone areas in the eastern end of the valley which has a large number of Spanish speaking residents.”

Robbins said the Spanish broadcasts were a natural extension of the district’s other weather-related services, including English radio broadcasts, a telephone hotline in both languages and a link from CVWD’s Web site to NOAA’s English and Spanish-language weather Web sites. The only other Spanish broadcast is provided by a NWR transmitter near El Paso, Texas. NOAA’s NWS plans to install Spanish transmitters in areas where demographic data indicates that there are significant numbers of households where Spanish is the only language spoken.

“NOAA All Hazards Radio allows us to send weather statements and warnings immediately, live to the public in an effort to save lives and property, often saving five to 10 minutes or more,” said Ed Clark, warning coordination meteorologist at the San Diego NWS office.

NOAA All Hazards Radio receivers provide weather information during natural or man-made emergencies, and can be used to place safety information directly on the airwaves to alert the public to take protective actions. The NOAA All Hazards Radio network has more than 825 transmitters, covering all 50 states, adjacent coastal waters, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and U.S. Pacific Territories.

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 to protect lives and property and enhance the national economy.

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 National Weather Service Forecast Office in San Diego: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/sandiego

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