Q: Why are two of the same warnings sometimes displayed differently?

A: If a warning is calling for a higher-than-normal threat to life and property, that warning will be bolded and assigned a different color to distinguish it from other warnings. In the case of severe thunderstorm warnings, if hail over the size of baseballs and/or winds over 80 mph are expected, WarnUS will usually flag it as a serious threat to life and property and color it red instead of the standard orange.



Q: Does WarnUS have the ability to retrieve historical warning data?

A: Unfortunately, no, and such a feature could actually have dangerous consequences. For one, someone could potentially access warning data from a past high-impact event and then distribute that as something current around the Internet, causing panic and confusion. While such a feature would admittedly be nice to have, the implementation would require a great deal of care that would almost require re-writing the entire script that runs the page.



Q: What exactly is a severe thunderstorm warning?

A: A severe thunderstorm is defined to be a thunderstorm that produces at least one of the following: Hail at least 1 inch in diameter, wind gusts of 58 mph or greater, and/or tornadoes. A severe thunderstorm warning is normally reserved for the first two criteria (large hail and damaging straight-line winds) while a tornado warning is normally reserved for the third (tornadoes). A severe thunderstorm warning can also include a "possible tornado" bulletin, which is used for when a storm may produce a tornado, but the forecaster isn't confident enough to issue a tornado warning.



Q: Why do the maps not work in my browser?

A: The map functionality should work in Google Chrome, Apple's Safari, and Mozilla Firefox. ESRI's maps have not been tested on Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, or Opera. Another possibility is the mapping data was not imported properly. If this is the case, refreshing the page will likely fix the problem. Click here to see if your browser will support the map functionality.



Q: Why does the virtual weather radio sometimes sound the full alert and sometimes just sound three short beeps?

A: For serious watches and warnings (i.e. ones that request activation of the Emergency Alert System), the full alert will be sounded on the virtual weather radio. Examples include tornado watches, severe thunderstorm warnings, or civil emergency messages. The full alert will also be sounded if a tornado warning or flash flood warning is upgraded to an upper tier warning. For other alerts or standard updates to existing alerts, the three beeps will be sounded.



Q: I selected a specific forecast office from the appropriate menu, but warnings from other offices continue to show up. Why?

A: Each National Weather Service office has a designated list of counties that they are responsible for (known as the "County Warning Area" or "CWA"). By convention, if a warning is close to the designated area of the chosen office, it will still be displayed. Also, during high impact events, it may become necessary for a National Weather Service office to temporarily take over the operations of another office if dangerous weather conditions are about to impact an office. However, the National Weather Service already prioritizes the data when retrieved on an office-by-office basis. That is, warnings issued by the office you chose will be displayed higher than the warnings issued by neighboring offices. As a result, WarnUS (if the window is open and in focus) will notify you if:

     • The chosen office has no warnings out, but a neighboring office issues a new warning or statement
     • The chosen office has issued a new warning or updated an existing warning

If the chosen office has warnings active but has not issued any new updates and a neighboring office has, you will not be notified of the new update.



Q: What is a FIPS code? Is it different than an SAME code?

A: A FIPS code is a six-digit code used to identify counties in the United States and its territories. The code is determined by combining a regional identifier (for entire counties this is just simply 0) with the state code (two digits) and the county code (three digits). FIPS codes are easier for mass dissemination systems and receivers to handle than entire county/state names, which is why they're still in use today. SAME codes are essentially the same as the FIPS code, except the first digit is a (non-zero) number that identifies a specific part of the county. For more information on SAME/FIPS codes and their applications toward emergency alerts, click here.



Q: When I select a specific forecast office, three letters pop up next to the menu. What do those letters mean?

A: All 122 National Weather Service offices in the United States are identified by the city that they're located in. This location can also be uniquely identified by the three letter office code that appears. For example, ICT is the office code for the Wichita, KS office and LOT is the office code for the Chicago, IL office.



Q: I have a suggestion to improve WarnUS. Who do I contact?

A: First, please check to make sure your suggestion is not already listed under "Future Plans". If it's not, then you can email your suggestion to ContactWarnUS@gmail.com. When sending in your suggestion, especially if it's for a major new feature, please also provide at least one reason on why you think your suggestion would be beneficial for WarnUS.



Q: Can WarnUS send out text alerts for when I'm under a warning?

A: No. However, FEMA offers what are known as Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs). These encompass most high-end weather alerts, as well as other emergencies. For more information on these, please click here.



Q: Is my county for the virtual weather radio saved on the server?

A: No. For privacy and security reasons, all user inputs are saved locally on the user's computer. Clearing locally stored website data may delete these inputs.



Q: What uses does the virtual weather radio have when I can already receive alerts on other devices?

A: WarnUS's virtual weather radio allows you to receive alerts for any county or parish in the lower 48 states (and to some extent Hawaii and Alaska). Some users choose to use the virtual weather radio for when distant friends or loved ones may experience hazardous weather conditions on a given day. Most other text-messaging and alert services do not offer this degree of flexibility, nor do they offer the ability to easily track alerts on a national or state level. Furthermore, with the Beta 0.3.0 update, all alerts (not just three types of warnings) can be received on the virtual weather radio, which is also something most other alert services don't do.



Q: Why do the sounds sometimes not play in my web browser?

A: Some web browsers will automatically silence pages if they're not touched for a certain period of time. To help ensure that the sounds play when they're supposed to, keep WarnUS in its own window instead of as another tab in the same window. See also: WarnUS Tips For Use



Q: What was originally the targeted audience for WarnUS?

A: WarnUS was originally intended to be used by weather enthusiasts such as myself that track hazardous weather on active days. Warning data quickly becomes complicated and difficult to manage when high-end events occur. WarnUS makes navigating these high impact events much easier. The Beta 0.2.x releases were intended to appeal to emergency managers, public safety officials, and members of the general public who needed to or wanted to graphically track warnings across a large area. The Beta 0.3.0 update made a further appeal to all of these audiences with major updates to the virtual weather radio, full map panel, and the signature one-line summaries.