Wireless Emergency Alert Update
Wireless Emergency Alert Update
Effective immediately, Blizard and Ice Storm Warnings will no longer activate Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) WEA capable cell phones. These weather warnings will continue to be provided over other NWS dissemination services.
In June, 2012, the National Weather Service (NWS) began disseminating its most critical warnings to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) for broadcast on WEA capable cell phones. Since then, the NWS has been collecting public feedback and working to refine the list of NWS warning types that activate WEA. Urgency of the message, severity and certainty of the warning types, and geo-targeting and capabilities of the cell phones are factors which the NWS uses to determine which warning type to send through WEA.
After reviewing customer feedback and comments, the NWS has made changes to the WEA broadcast list. The following warnings will continue to be provided over WEA:
Torando Warnings
Flash Flood Warnings
Hurricane and Typhoon Warnings
Extreme Wind Warnings
Dust Storm Warnings
For more information about WEA in relation to the NWS, please visit: weather.gov/wirelessalerts