Interactive NWS FAQ

General
The iNWS web page is acting funny or not showing information when I click on a link.
Please make sure you have upgraded to a modern, updated browser. iNWS was designed to work with Internet Explorer version 7+, Firefox 2+, Safari 3+, Google Chrome, and Opera 7+. We give no guarantees that the website will work with any other browsers.
When I go to the iNWS web page on my mobile phone, the mobile version of the site does not show up.
We try our hardest to detect if you are using a mobile browser or not, however we do miss some. To visit the mobile site you can use http://inws.wrh.noaa.gov/m or toggle between the mobile and non mobile versions of the page using the "View" option at the bottom of the page.
What happened to the mobile java client?
With the release of this version we are no longer supporting and/or developing mobile applications. This is because of the amount of time, money, and resources that are required to develop mobile applications on the broad range of platforms that exist. Instead all of our site functionality will be accessable from ANY web-enabled mobile phone.
Alerts
How do I receive text message (SMS) alerts on my phone?
You can enable text message alerts and enter your phone number on the account settings page.
Which cell phone carriers do you support?
We currently only support the following carriers: AT&T/Cingular, Sprint/Nextel/Boost, T-Mobile, Verizon, Alltel, U.S. Cellular, Cellular One/Dobson, Virgin Mobile US, Cincinnati Bell, Midrivers, and Nemont/Sagebrush
How long should it take to recieve an iNWS alert once the NWS issues a product?
We send our alerts only a few moments after the NWS product is issued by the office. However, the time it takes you to recieve the message depends on your cell phone carrier or e-mail provider and how good of service you have.
When creating an iNWS Alerts alert area, what types of NWS products fall into each weather category?
Severe - Severe Weather, Tornado (SVR, SVS, TOR, WCN)
Winter Weather - Blizzard, Snow, Winter Storm, Winter Weather, Ice Storm, Avalanche (WSW, AVA, AVW, SAB)
Hydrology - Flash Flood, Flood, Areal Flood (FFA, FFS, FFW, FLS, FLW)
Fire Weather - Red Flag, Rangeland Fire Danger (RFW, RFD)
Marine Weather - Lake Wind, Marine, Small Craft, Hazardous Seas (CWF, MWS, NSH, GLF, SMW, OFF, MWW)
Coastal Hazards - Tsunami, Costal Flooding, High Surf (CFW, LSH, TSU)
Tropical Weather - Hurricane, Tropical Storm, Hurricane Winds (HLS, TCM, TCP, TCV)
Aviation - Aviation Weather Warnings (AWW)
Non-Precipitation - High Wind, Fog, Frost, Freeze, Dust (NPW, ASA)
Civil Emergency - 911 Outage, Evacuation, HazMat, Nuclear, Volcano (CAE, CDQ, CEM, EQW, EVI, FRW, HMW, LAE, etc.)
Other - Special Weather Statement (SPS)
Account Settings
Why am I receiving alerts when I didn't sign up for them?
If you are receiving alerts, but never signed up for them, you may be receiving alerts from the following sources:

  1. A new service called Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA). WEA is a partnership between the Federal Government and commercial wireless carriers to improve public safety. Please contact your wireless carrier if you need assistance opting out of the service. You can find links to WEA related information for each of the major wireless carriers at http://ctia.org/wea.
  2. GovDelivery: A private company that sends email and text alerts. Their web site is http://www.govdelivery.com.
  3. Your organization may be forwarding these message to you as part of their internal notification system.
How can I delete my iNWS account and stop recieving alerts?
There is a link at the bottom of the settings page that allows you to remove all your information from our system. Please remember that this process is irreversable.
iNWS is an experimental service intended for NWS core partners, including emergency managers, community leaders and other government agencies only. You are encouraged to complete a short survey on iNWS. See the iNWS Service Description Document for more information.