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NOAA Weather Radio and emergency alerts in Washington

Three alert layers to set up today. Turn on Wireless Emergency Alerts on every phone, sign up for your county's opt-in alerts, and program a NOAA Weather Radio with your county's SAME code. What each one does, and what it misses.

Last reviewed Nov 1, 2026 · for families, neighborhood organizers · Alerts and weather radio, Power outages, Family plans

In short

Alerts only help if a device that can receive them is switched on and near you. WA EMD says you may need several accounts and devices, “because there are federal systems and local government systems” (WA EMD). Set up all three layers below. It takes about 20 minutes.

Layer 1: Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) on every phone

WEA messages are short warnings broadcast to phones through cell towers. You don’t need to sign up or download an app. Federal rules allow up to 360 characters per alert (47 CFR §10.430).

Check that they’re on:

What WEA carries in Washington (WA EMD):

Layer 2: your county’s opt-in alerts

WA EMD warns that WEA alone may not tell you about “a flood” or “a critical road closure.” For those, sign up for your local opt-in alert system. Each county or city runs its own.

Layer 3: a NOAA Weather Radio

NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards is a network of more than 1,000 transmitters run by the National Weather Service. It broadcasts weather information around the clock, plus warnings for other hazards, including tsunamis (NWS). It needs no cell or internet service, only a receiver and batteries.

Choosing one (generic specs):

WA EMD says many local jurisdictions hand out one particular model, and EMD has posted a video on how to program it. If you were given a radio, check WA EMD’s alerts page before you buy another.

Programming the SAME code for your county

  1. Find your county’s six-digit SAME code on the NWS Washington county coverage page. Pick your county. The page lists its SAME location code and the stations that cover it, with their frequencies.
  2. Pick the strongest station for your area from the Washington station listing, or let the radio scan for it.
  3. Enter the SAME code following your radio’s manual. Add neighboring counties if you commute or have family there.
  4. Set the radio to alert mode, so it stays quiet until a warning arrives.
  5. Put it where you’ll hear it at night, and keep fresh batteries in it.

NWS alerting is county-based: “if an NWS office forecasts that even a small part of a county is impacted by a storm, the entire county is alerted” (NWS). In large counties, expect some alerts for weather that never reaches you.

What alerts do not do

Next steps

Common questions

Can I turn off emergency alerts on my phone?

Some alert types can be turned off, but federal rules let carriers offer an opt-out only for AMBER, imminent-threat and public-safety alert classes (47 CFR §10.280). Leave them on. One alert you'd rather not get costs far less than missing a warning.

Where do I find my county's SAME code?

On the National Weather Service's NOAA Weather Radio county coverage page for Washington. Pick your county to see its six-digit SAME code, the stations that cover it and their frequencies.

Will I get a ShakeAlert earthquake warning?

WA EMD says all mobile phones can receive ShakeAlert warnings through Wireless Emergency Alerts. These are set for earthquakes of magnitude 5.0 and above, when shaking strong enough to rattle dishes and windows is expected where you are. Warnings may arrive only seconds before shaking, or not before it at all.