Weather warnings on the go!

Imagine this: You’re driving down the highway, humming along to your favorite tunes, when the cell phone stowed in your bag suddenly makes a strange noise. To investigate, you take the next exit and safely pull over to check the screen. Good thing you did: Your phone just alerted you to a tornado a few miles away in same county you’re driving through.

Sound plausible? It is. America’s wireless industry is helping to build a Weather-Ready Nation through a nationwide text emergency alert system, called Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), which will warn you when weather threatens.

And check out real stories of how WEA has saved lives across America.

Wireless Emergency Alerts - English
With a unique sound and vibration, Wireless Emergency Alerts keep you in the know, wherever you are.

Wireless Emergency Alerts - Español
Con una alerta de sonido y vibración Alertas Inalámbricas de Emergencia te mantienen al tanto donde estés.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are WEA messages?
   Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) are emergency messages sent by authorized government alerting authorities through your mobile carrier. Government partners include local and state public safety agencies, FEMA, the FCC, the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Weather Service. No signup is required! Alerts are sent automatically to WEA-capable phones during an emergency.
   
2. Why is this important to me?
   Alerts received at the right time can help keep you safe during an emergency. With WEA, alerts can be sent to your mobile device when you may be in harm's way, without need to download an app or subscribe to a service.
   
3. What types of alerts will I receive?
   • Extreme Weather and Hydrologic Warnings
   • Local emergencies requiring evacuation or immediate action
   • AMBER Alerts
   • Blue Alerts
   • Presidential Alerts during a national emergency
4. What does a WEA message look like?
   WEA will look like a text message. The WEA message will typically show the type and time of the alert, any action you should take, and the agency issuing the alert. The length and language of the message received on a particular device will be dependent on the wireless network and the language setting of the device. Messages will be up to 360 characters on 4G LTE networks and beyond. WEA message length will be a maximum of 90 characters on 3G and earlier networks. Please see the current NWS WEA messages in English and Spanish.

Examples of Wireless Emergency Alerts in English and Spanish.

• WEA 1.0 supports alerts up to 90 characters in length and only in English.
• WEA 2.0 supports alerts up to 360 characters in length and Spanish alerts, so long as the alerting authority transmits in Spanish. Device settings may determine whether English or Spanish alerts are displayed.
• WEA 3.0 can support geographical targeting accuracy of 0.1 mile (1/10 mile). WEA 1.0 and 2.0 devices, and in some cases 3.0 devices, cannot support this enhanced geographic targeting. In cases where WEA 3.0 is not supported, the alert may be presented, but may not be within 0.1 mile accuracy.