NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from the nearest National Weather Service office. NWR broadcasts official Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Working with the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) Emergency Alert System , NWR is an "All Hazards" radio network, making it your single source for comprehensive weather and emergency information. In conjunction with Federal, State, and Local Emergency Managers and other public officials, NWR also broadcasts warning and post-event information for all types of hazards – including natural (such as earthquakes or avalanches), environmental (such as chemical releases or oil spills), and public safety (such as AMBER alerts or 911 Telephone outages).

Known as the "Voice of NOAA's National Weather Service," NWR is provided as a public service by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), part of the Department of Commerce. NWR includes 1025 transmitters, covering all 50 states, adjacent coastal waters, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the U.S. Pacific Territories.

Listen to a live feed of the Milford NOAA Weather Radio broadcast

Dickinson County is served by a NWR transmitter located west of Milford. Broadcasting on 162.550 MHz, this station covers all of Dickinson County as well as portions of our neighboring counties (click here to view a coverage map). This station alerts for warnings in Dickinson, Osceola, Clay, Emmet, and Palo Alto Counties in Iowa as well as Jackson and Nobles Counties in Minnesota.

Many local electronics and hardware stores carry NOAA Weather Radios as do many online retailers with most radios ranging in price from $25 to $50. Be sure to look for a radio with Specific Area Message Encoding (S.A.M.E.). This feature allows you to program your county's FIPS code into the radio. Doing this will eliminate receiving alerts for other counties that don't affect you. The FIPS code for Dickinson County is 019059 (these are zeros, not O's). Click here to find codes for other counties in the United States.

For more information, visit the NOAA Weather Radio website at www.weather.gov/nwr.