Public Library Of Youngstown & Mahoning County: NOAA Weather Services

Press release from the Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County:

Cindy C.

November 4th, 2021

Twenty-four hours a day, the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) weather service, along with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), broadcasts a continuous stream of information for the National Weather Service (NWS). Weather reports repeat every four to ten minutes and are updated every one to three hours, depending on conditions.  NOAA broadcasts warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information including chemical releases and oil spills.  It can also send out AMBER alerts for missing children.  There are more than 1,000 transmitters in the system that cover nearly 90% of the United States using a special VHF band which requires a special radio receiver or scanner to listen to.

Signal reception is based on various factors, but is much affected by local terrain.  Hilly or urban areas might have less than desirable signals, but the typical signal reaches a 40-mile radius.  For a list of all area broadcast station locations, click here.

How to get a radio.  NOAA does not make or sell weather radios.  It operates the transmitter network and allows the manufacturers of radios to use its name on qualified radios to broadcast its signal on seven different frequencies.  The radios are available from about $20 and up at many different types of outlets, including department stores, electronic stores and online shopping.  You can also spend a bit more on multi-function radios which include shortwave, CB, marine and scanners.

What to look for in a radio.  SAME (Specific Alert Message Encoding) allows you to specify the area for which you wish to get alerts so that your alarm will not go off for areas not near where you wish to hear reports.  Other radios allow you to turn off the alarm for events you are not concerned about.  Battery backup is also a nice feature to have as power outages are more frequent with adverse weather conditions.  Some radios may also have an external antenna jack which can extend its range and clarity.  Finally, if you need additional notification devices such as strobe lights or bed shakers, those can also be purchased for a premium.

The voices of the weather radio.  In the beginning, all of the voices on the weather stations were staff of NOAA.  As the system grew, and to increase the speed of delivery, a computerized voice system was incorporated.  The first was dubbed “Paul.”  People listening did not like the voice of Paul.  So, in late 2000, new voices, “Donna” and “Craig” were introduced.  Craig was replaced by “Tom,” and at some sites, “Javier,” a Spanish voice, was used.  The latest generation has replaced Donna and Tom with “Paul” and Javier with “Violetta.”  Samples of the voices can be heard here.

Cooperative Observer Program (Coop).  Formed in 1890 under the Organic Act, COOP includes more than 8,700 volunteers from all areas of the country who gather meteorological data including low and high temperatures, precipitation totals and observational data in real-time forecasting.

NWS SKYWARN Storm Spotter Program.  This is a volunteer program with nearly 400,000 trained severe weather spotters with a primary focus on local thunderstorms.  Anyone can join this area program after taking a free two-hour class.

NOAA Solar Calculator.  This page within the NOAA site will show you the times for sunrise, sunset and azimuth (the direction of the sun for the given date, time and location), and solar noon (the time when the sun crosses the meridian of the observer’s location).  It can be found here.

Space Weather Prediction Center.  How weather affects the earth is first influenced by the sun.  NOAA provides the weather information for aviation, electric power, GPS, radio, and satellite industries.  For further study, go here.

Find it at the Library:

Angry weather: heat waves, floods, storms, and the new science of climate change. Otto, Friederike.

The extreme weather survival manual. Mersereau, Dennis.

Field guide to the weather: learn to identify clouds and storms, forecast the weather, and stay safe. Henning, Ryan.

Cindy C.

Miss Cindy has been circulating in Ohio libraries for many years. She creates programming for all ages because even though she likes the little ones, her passion is making ‘stuff’. Cindy’s husband requests that you do not show or tell her about any new ‘stuff’.  But Cindy knows you will bend her ear, and she will turn it into a program lickety-split! 

This press release was produced by the Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County. The views expressed here are the author’s own.