Alerts that wake you: NOAA Weather Radio, phone alerts and local apps
Set up more than one way to receive an overnight warning. Start with official alerts, then add local coverage.
Set up your warning methods →THE WEATHER FIELD GUIDE
Understand the alert.
Know your next step.
Practical explanations for checking your local weather—before the next warning arrives.
Sources reviewed September 23, 2026
Hail size chart: dime to softballs
Compare hail diameters, find the one-inch severe threshold, and understand what size does—and does not—tell you about damage.
Read the guide →Flash Flood Emergency vs Warning: what changes and when to leave
Both require action. An emergency highlights exceptional danger; it is not the point you should wait for before moving to safety.
Read the guide →SPC Conditional Intensity Groups vs the old hatched area
Separate the chance of severe weather from how intense it could be if it occurs. Read the hazard probability and intensity layer together.
Read the guide →El Niño winter 2026–27: southern storm track, floods and coastal storms
What NOAA’s September outlook says, why a southern storm track matters, and why seasonal odds cannot forecast your next flood or snowstorm.
Read the guide →Weather alerts that wake you
ALERT SETUP GUIDE A tornado warning at 3 a.m. only helps if something in the house makes noise. Here is how NOAA Weather Radio, Wireless Emergency Alerts a
Read the guide →Reading SPC outlooks
FORECAST LITERACY Since March 3, 2026, the Storm Prediction Center’s severe weather outlooks carry Conditional Intensity Groups in place of the old hatched
Read the guide →What a Moderate Risk of Excessive Rainfall Means for You
FLOOD OUTLOOK GUIDE What Marginal, Slight, Moderate and High risk mean on the Weather Prediction Center's flood outlook, and what to do at each level. Upda
Read the guide →What to do in a tornado warning
TORNADO SAFETY Where to shelter in a house, apartment, mobile home, school or car, what to avoid, and how to be ready before the next warning. Reviewed Oct
Read the guide →Severe thunderstorm warning criteria
WARNINGS EXPLAINED The hail and wind thresholds behind base, considerable and destructive warnings, and why only one of them sets off your phone. Reviewed
Read the guide →Tornado watch vs. warning
WARNINGS EXPLAINED Who issues each alert, how long it lasts, what PDS and Tornado Emergency mean, and exactly what to do when your phone goes off. Reviewed
Read the guide →Power station sizing
BUYING GUIDE The watt and watt-hour math, real runtimes for phones, routers and fans, and when a small station is not enough. Reviewed October 4, 2026. Sou
Read the guide →NOAA weather radio buying guide
BUYING GUIDE What SAME means, which features actually matter, home alert radios vs. crank radios, and how to set one up in 10 minutes. Reviewed October 4,
Read the guide →What Is an Invest?
TROPICS GUIDE Invest, tropical depression, or Potential Tropical Cyclone: what the National Hurricane Center's formation odds mean, and what to do on the G
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