NOAA Weather Radios, an Asset for Campers, RVers, and Boaters

 This is a second post on NOAA Weather Radios.  Don't mean to be redundant, but it is a topic that, in my experience, is underrated.  I've met too many people who dont even know about NOAA weather radios, let alone use them!

NOAA Weather radio is a service of the National Weather Service (NWS), which, in turn, is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States of America.  The following Mission and Vision are taken directly from the National Weather Service website:

NWS Mission

Provide weather, water, and climate data, forecasts and warnings for the protection of life and property and enhancement of the national economy.

NWS Vision

A Weather-Ready Nation: Society is prepared for and responds to weather, water, and climate-dependent events.

Although the mission statement doesn't specifically mention recreation, the forecasts are of great value to campers, hikers, boaters, hunters, and fisherman.  Or to anyone who is going to working or playing outdoors.  I believe we qualify under protection for life and property when involved in our outdoor recreational pursuits.

NOAA weather forecasts are available for almost all  geographic parts of the United States.  Speical NOAA radios will automatically pick up the local forecast just about anywhere you are. 

I've seen NOAA weather channels on a few car radios but usually you have to buy a special NOAA radio.  NOAA forecasts are updated frequently and give a fairly accurate prediction of regional weather.  The 7 day forecast is usually accurate about 80% of the time; the 5 day forecast is good about 90% of the time; but the 10 day forecast is only correct about 50% of the time.

Be aware that some camping venues are located in areas that kind of make their own weather.  This is especially true of mountains but large bodies of water and sometimes even deserts can also make their own weather.  Therefore, regional weather forecasts from NOAA or your local radio station may not always be a good predictor of what you will actually experience at a specific location but it is good place to start!

You can purchase NOAA weather radios at many places that sell camping equipment.  Some places that I've confirmed sell NOAA radios are Walmart, Amazon, Target, Cabellas and even Big Lots.  You can often find them on ebay too.  Some models include hand crank chargers so you never have to worry about running out of power.

NOAA also has a superb web site where you can get up-to-date weather information.   It is the National Weather Service website.  It is a fairly comprehensive website.  Be sure to explore the options as there are many features to assist you in understanding the forecast and finding out what you need to know.  One of my favorites is the Hourly Forecast, but the menu under FORECAST includes lots of useful options including, Graphical, Aviation, Marine, Rivers and Lakes, and Severe Weather that could be useful to campers and boaters.

Be weather wise!