The 5 Best Emergency Weather Radios for 2024, Plus How to Choose
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Extreme weather events—floods, wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes—are getting more frequent and severe. And sometimes, cell phone alerts and county-wide alert systems aren’t reliable. An emergency weather radio can help. Think about the recent swath of hurricanes in the Southeastern US—the weather situation was continuously updating, and even as the weather moved in (before the brunt of the storms), people were losing power. In some areas with recent severe weather, power has stayed out for multiple weeks at a time.
While it might seem like an extreme purchase better suited for The End Times over our modern, cell-phone addicted life, many emergency weather radios cost less than $50, provide regional and weather-specific alerts, and come equipped with multiple backup power sources. Unlike smartphones, which rely on networks that can become unreliable or nonexistent during emergencies, weather radios receive direct broadcasts without relying on cell towers for connectivity or electricity to stay charged.
Amber Silver, PhD is an assistant professor in the University at Albany’s Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. She specializes in risk and crisis communication, particularly in the context of severe and hazardous weather, and was generous enough to give us input on emergency radios, who they’re best for, and some of their drawbacks.
“Unlike regular AM/FM radios, emergency radios provide up-to-date information about watches and warnings,” says Silver. “This is particularly valuable during summer severe weather season, when thunderstorms, tornadoes, and flash floods can develop quickly on blue sky afternoons.”
The Expert: I have been traveling in the outdoors for as long as I can remember, and I’ve spent the past decade reviewing camping gear, overlanding items, and outdoor survival gear. I spend a lot of time out of service, and live in an area that can have some pretty extreme weather. I keep a Midland emergency weather radio in my truck-camping kit. This kit stays in the cab of my truck in a bin with sections for extra layers, sun and cold protection, water purification, and extra snacks. It’s not that I’m a doomsday prepper, it’s just that I can read the news.
Best Emergency Radios
Best Overall: Midland ER210 E+READY Emergency Crank WX Emergency Radio
Best Value: RunningSnail Emergency Crank Weather Radio
Most Feature-Heavy: Kaito Voyager Pro KA600 Hand Crank Emergency Radio
Best Lightweight: C Crane WX Pocket Radio
Best for Indoor Alerts: Midland WR120B Emergency Weather Alert Radio
What to Consider
Why Use An Emergency Radio?
Emergency radios are particularly valuable for people who spend a great deal of time outdoors, either for work or recreation, where access to television, the Internet, or a cell phone is limited.
Many feature hand cranks and solar panels that generate power, while others rely on batteries. Some have screens that push out weather alerts. USB ports lend the ability to double as power stations for those who need to charge phones. Many also have bulbs so they can be used as flashlights, though their wattage is low and should only be used to provide supplemental lighting.
According to Silvers, the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration’s dedicated weather radio (the Midland series) has become a staple in the field.
The National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA) is responsible for monitoring and predicting changes in climate, the ocean, coasts, and weather. Aptly put by the organization, its reach “goes from the surface of the sun to the depths of the ocean floor.”
The NOAA broadcasts weather warnings and forecasts as the National Weather Radio (NWR) across seven public radio frequencies: 62.400 megahertz, 162.425 MHz, 162.450 MHz, 162.475 MHz, 162.500 MHz, 162.525 MHz, and 162.550 MHz. Your weather radio can tune into each of these frequencies for updates during disasters and emergencies.
The strength of these frequencies depends on your location. Check the NWR coverage map for more on your area’s strongest frequency.
How We Selected
To choose the best emergency weather radios, we looked for reliable, clear reception, multiple backup power options, additional safety features, durable construction, and ease of use. We consulted Amber Silver to ask what qualities are most vital in an emergency radio and prioritized those based on a wide range of needs, budgets, and features. We also used Silver’s nod to the Midland for our top pick, as it also comes recommended by several professionals in the field. For this November 2024 update, we made sure our top picks were in stock, updated any out-of-date specs, and replaced our favorite lightweight model.
ER210 E+READY Emergency Crank WX Emergency Radio
Reliable reception and a loud alert system landed this at the top of our list for emergency weather radios. Like the other radios on this list, this is a portable, compact unit with high levels of weather resistance and durability, and a long-lasting, rechargeable 2200 mAh battery.
You can bring a dead radio back to life by turning the hand crank, and once it has some charge, just 1 minute of turning the handle can result in up to 10 minutes of radio playback and reception. It has a bright LED flashlight and auto-locks onto the strongest weather alert signal with the scanner.
This model is rechargeable with a USB-to-AC wall outlet, and the battery can be charged to full capacity with solar panels or the hand crank. Fully charged, the battery can power this radio for more than 32 hours of use.
The alert is loud when emergency messaging comes through your closest NOAA frequency. This is a great model to stash in a go-bag or your glove compartment, and it comes in several varieties with different battery power and features.
Emergency Crank Weather Radio
While most emergency radios won’t break the bank, this one is an especially good deal thanks to the feature-packed, compact design that can easily compete with pricier models. Even with the low price and somewhat confusing Amazon listing name, it has strong connectivity and durability, and reliably receives emergency weather forecasts from NOAA and updates from AM/FM stations.
It has a 4000mAh battery equipped with a USB port to keep your phone charged, the hand crank is ergonomic, and it comes with a loud siren for instant alerts.
We love the versatile ways this radio can be recharged either in a wall outlet via the USB port or via the hand crank, and it powers up quickly on a sunny day with the solar panels. The included LED light is bright enough to read by and doesn’t drain the battery quickly, and it charges fully in a wall outlet in four hours.
Voyager Pro KA600 Hand Crank Emergency Radio
This is the most advanced model from Kaito’s Voyager line, and can be used as a daily radio as well as an emergency backup. Power options include an AC adapter, a rechargeable battery, AAA batteries, solar panels, or hand-crank.
The solar panels flip 180 degrees to maximize solar charging capabilities, and it fully charges in 4 hours via solar and less than 2 hours in an AC wall unit. Activating the solar panel allows the radio to play, even with a dead internal battery and no AC power source.
This is the most industrial looking unit from our picks, but it comes packed with features, reliable frequency connectivity, and has a headphone jack to work as a wired speaker.
WX Pocket Radio
This durable little model is even smaller than C Crane’s previous compact radios, and runs on two AA batteries for up to 80 hours. Keep in mind the battery life is dependent on volume level and whether or not you’re using speakers or earbuds (headphones will get you up to 100 hours of battery life), and it’s never a bad idea to keep spare batteries on hand.
This radio has a lot of bang for its tiny size, with five memory buttons and the access to dozens of AM and FM stations. You can receive NOAA weather broadcasts and set the alerts for multiple hour intervals based on conditions and zone. The readout is simple and easy to see in dim light or bright daylight, and it’s passed plenty of drop tests (both on purpose and accidental).
WR120B Emergency Weather Alert Radio
This is not the same as an outdoor-ready, crank-arm capable radio. Rather, think of it like a smoke detector alarm or CO2 detector, albeit a unit that relies on AC power with a battery backup. It sits there quietly until there’s an alert, and you have three different ways to be alerted: flashing lights, voice alert, or a very loud (90 decibels, to be exact) siren.
With a digital readout, this weather radio is styled like an alarm clock with powerful weather-alert capabilities. It’s simple to use and set up, and scans the seven NOAA frequencies until it finds the one with the strongest signal. Additionally, it can lock onto Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) frequencies, which can send you weather alerts based on your county. It’s also capable of receiving all Emergency Alert System (EAS) warnings, which are text and audio alerts localized to your area. If you truly want to be prepared for weather events, it’s not a bad idea to have this model in your house along with a backup hand-crank radio in your go-bag.
FAQs
What is an emergency weather radio?
Ok, maybe we should start here. Also known as a weather alert radio, emergency weather radios are compact, portable radios that enable information access during natural disasters or emergencies. These are especially necessary when the power goes out, and these have presets and tuning for users to receive emergency broadcasts and weather updates. They can be solar, hand-cranked, or battery powered, and many have multiple power source options.
Do I really need a weather alert radio?
If you live in an area prone to severe weather (anything from tornadoes to flooding to hurricanes to wildfires), we do recommend keeping one of these on hand. They’re relatively inexpensive, have an incredibly long lifespan, are low-maintenance to store, and many don’t need to be kept charged to work. And like most emergency preparedness items, you hope you don’t need to use it, but you’ll be glad to have it if you do.
Are hand-crank radios better than battery powered?
There are pros and cons to both hand-cranked radios versus battery or solar powered… plus, there are plenty of models that have both options. A reliable hand-crank radio can produce up to 15 minutes of listening power for every minute of cranking (cheaper models might produce less), and feature-heavy radios can even charge phones and have included LED lights. While battery, electric, and solar-powered radios are clearly the easier option, a hand-crank is a good backup for when all other sources of power fail. Look for one with an ergonomic handle that tucks tightly next to the radio for storage.
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