Q: What kinds of severe weather messages will I receive?
A: Our text messaging system is designed to automatically send a message to your cell phone when any of the following official warnings are issued or updated: Severe Thunderstorm Warning, Tornado Warning, Extreme Wind Warning, High Wind Warning, Winter Storm Warning, Blizzard Warning, Heavy Snow Warning, Ice Storm Warning, and in areas near the Great Lakes, Lake Effect Snow Warning.
The system will deliver the following warnings on a 24/7 basis because these are potentially life-threatening conditions: Severe Thunderstorm Warning, Tornado Warning. The system will deliver the following warnings between the hours of 5am and 11pm, CST because these conditions are not as immediately life-threatening and customer feedback indicates that people would rather not receive these messages overnight. This list includes: Wind Warning, High Wind Warning, Winter Storm Warning, Blizzard Warning, Heavy Snow Warning, Ice Storm Warning, and in areas near the Great Lakes, Lake Effect Snow Warning.
You can customize your settings to receive specific alert types for your selected counties.
Q: Where can I get more information on the warning I’ve received?
A: Text message length is very limited but NOAA warnings can often be very lengthy. In cases where warning messages exceed the length of standard text messages, you will receive a link to our web site where you will find additional information as well as radar images.
Q: Where does the weather warning information come from?
A: Our text messaging system delivers information directly from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, also known as the National Weather Service. NOAA is constantly upgrading its services. The NOAA information feed we are using is currently in development. As new options become available, we will integrate them into our text messages. Thank you for signing up.