Check current National Weather Service alerts by state or city location. Find flood warnings, severe weather warnings, watches and advisories, then read the official instructions for the affected area.
In immediate danger, call 911 from a safe place. Follow local evacuation and shelter instructions. This educational website is not an emergency dispatch service, and this alert finder does not send notifications.
Check active alertsFind your state’s emergency resourcesHow this data works
Active weather alerts by city and state
Use the state view for broad coverage or select one of 81 city locations. A city lookup uses one representative point. It is not a complete city boundary or an address-level safety check. Keep your phone’s emergency alerts enabled and check local officials as well.
The live finder requires JavaScript. Check current alerts directly with the National Weather Service and use our state emergency directory.
What to do with an alert
- Check the location. Read the affected area and the official map. A state listing does not mean the whole state is affected, and a city lookup cannot represent every neighborhood.
- Check the timing. The issue time, event start, event end and message expiration serve different purposes. A watch may be active now for conditions expected later. Check for updated instructions before relying on a saved screenshot.
- Read the action. Follow the issuing agency’s instructions. Flooding, tornadoes and chemical releases can require different protective actions. An alert label by itself is not an evacuation route.
- Keep other warning channels available. Use local emergency alerts, Wireless Emergency Alerts and NOAA Weather Radio as appropriate. This page is a supplementary lookup, not a replacement for them.
For a practical comparison, read Flood Watch vs. Flood Warning: What to Do Next. For safety steps across other hazards, use the state-by-state emergency guide.
How this data works
Source and refresh: The finder requests the National Weather Service API when opened, when you change location and about every 60 seconds while the tab is visible. Each successful retrieval shows its retrieval time and the feed’s update time. Times are displayed in UTC so their time zone is explicit. Internet, browser and source delays can affect delivery.
Location method: State requests use the NWS state filter. City requests use latitude and longitude from the 2026 Census Gazetteer, with official NWS city forecast points used for Boston, San Francisco, Juneau and Anchorage to avoid outlying municipal water or mountain areas. The selection includes a location for every state capital and Washington, D.C., plus 30 additional cities. These are representative points, not metropolitan boundaries, risk rankings or a list of every city. The NWS geolocation guide explains how point requests include county- and zone-based alerts. Always read the stated affected area.
Messages shown: The display includes actual public alerts and updates returned by the active-alert feed. It excludes test messages, expired messages and canceled or superseded versions identified in the returned data. Messages are ordered by NWS severity, then issue time, and displayed 20 at a time. Use the next and previous controls to see all matching messages. Alert counts are message counts, not a measure of people, properties or cities at risk.
When data is missing: A failed or invalid response displays an unavailable notice. A successful lookup with no matching active messages says that no alerts were returned. Neither result establishes safety. If a successful retrieval becomes more than two minutes old, its cards are hidden until the feed is refreshed. Expiration of a warning is not permission to enter a damaged building.
Coverage limits: The NWS alert feed does not include every local or non-weather emergency. Local evacuation orders, road closures, boil-water notices and shelter availability may be published through other channels. Follow your state and local emergency agencies for those instructions.
Prepare before damage, recover after safe reentry
Use our water damage prevention guidance only where conditions are safe. For an incident already underway, start with the first-hour water damage checklist. After officials permit reentry, use the flood cleanup guide and incident documentation worksheet.
Methodology checked November 13, 2026. Live alert content retains the issuing agency’s wording. The finder is an educational display and does not predict property damage or guarantee alert delivery.