KEC60 NOAA Weather Radio

Part of the NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards network, an automated 24-hour system of VHF FM stations in the United States that broadcasts weather information directly from nearby National Weather Service offices. The network's routine programming cycle includes local and regional weather forecasts, climate summaries, zone and lake forecasts, and coastal waters forecasts. During hazardous weather events, the cycle is compressed to prioritize short-term forecasts, special weather statements, hazardous weather outlooks, and tropical weather summaries. Beyond meteorological content, the network also relays non-weather emergency information through the FCC's Emergency Alert System, including national security statements, natural disaster information, Amber alerts, civil emergencies, fire notifications, and evacuation orders. Automated broadcast technology allows segments to be recycled across broadcast cycles and updated consistently across all transmitters in the network. The network's origins date to 1960, when the U.S. Weather Bureau began experimental VHF radio broadcasts of marine weather information in Chicago and New York. The system expanded to serve the general public in coastal regions during the 1960s and early 1970s. By early 1970, the agency listed 20 cities using the 162.55 MHz frequency. Weather radios capable of receiving NWR broadcasts are widely sold through consumer electronics retailers and are particularly prevalent in supermarkets and drugstores in the southern and midwestern United States, regions with high exposure to severe weather events. KEC60 serves the Milwaukee, Wisconsin listening area.