The Best NOAA Weather Radios to Give You Advanced Warning

This Midland model may be on the expensive side, but the extra cash gets you get a brighter flashlight and charging via both hand crank and solar power. In Wirecutter’s testing, their reviewers found that “just one minute of cranking produced ten minutes of radio time or a few minutes of flashlight use.” The ER310 sound its own loud alarms when an extreme weather alert is detected, and it is compact and portable.

Almost identical to the ER310 above, the ER210 is smaller, sleeker, and about $20 less expensive. Since the battery isn’t as big, you reach full charge with less cranking. Like its sister radio, it also has a loud alarm when weather alerts come in, a bright flashlight, and even a headphone jack.

This is a great, affordable weather radio option—so long as you don’t live in a particularly natural disaster-prone area. The Emergency Crank will receive weather alerts—and provides a clear, strong signal when tuned in—but it doesn’t flash a light or blare an alarm to accompany those and warn you. The flashlight has three modes to give you the best visibility possible in different lighting—plus it has some extras, like a phone charger and a reading light.

Capable of fulfilling both entertainment and safety needs, the Sidekick has NOAA, AM, and FM channel connections. If you want to blast tunes from your personal playlist, you can also connect via Bluetooth or an aux cord. Not only will this radio pick up the typical weather alert stations, but also Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME), which gives you access to hyper-local weather. It’s easy to carry and can hold up against water and a drop or two, though some reviewers say the flashlight could be brighter.

Affordability alone sells this radio that doubles as a power bank. AAA batteries, the solar plate, or hand cranking can all provide power. It broadcasts AM, FM, and NOAA stations, and is rain-resistant in case of bad weather. You can get illumination from the smaller flashlight or reading light on top. And no worries if a part breaks, because FosPower covers this radio with a lifetime warranty.

This NOAA radio not only warns you when inclement weather is on its way, but it also has designated lights that alert you to whether it is a warning (severe storms, could cause damage to property or threaten life), watch (the possibility of inclement weather), or advisory( weather may impede travel, but is not severe)—plus it has SAME alerts. This model uses batteries instead of solar power or a hand crank, so you’ll want to make sure that you have some on hand in case of a power outage. If you plan to take the WR120 camping and want to make it up before the sun, you can avail yourself of the built-in alarm clock.

This pocket size model isn’t much larger than your credit card, which for backpackers or minimalists, means you won't have to leave anything out of your carefully constructed hiking pack. Affordable and compact, this radio picks up NOAA stations with crystal-clear reception and runs on batteries, so you don’t have to worry about charging it. Should anything break, Vondior covers it under a three-year warranty. And if you’re out of power for a while, you can tune into one of the AM or FM radio stations to pass the time.