Calhoun County, AL — The Calhoun County Emergency Management Agency is encouraging residents to stay vigilant and have multiple methods of receiving weather alerts as NOAA Weather Radio services remain temporarily offline across Alabama.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Birmingham, all NOAA Weather Radio transmitters in their coverage area — including the Anniston transmitter that serves Calhoun County — are currently offline due to a mandatory software upgrade. The outage began on Sunday, May 19, and is expected to last through Tuesday, May 21.
This disruption means that weather radios will not be able to issue alerts during this period, including for any severe weather that may occur Tuesday night, when there is an increased threat of storms.
Residents are urged to take the following precautions to stay informed:
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Enable Wireless Emergency Alerts on smartphones.
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Use reliable TV and weather apps for real-time updates.
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Follow local news outlets for weather coverage.
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Sign up for Calhoun County EMA emergency alerts by texting Join CalhounEMA to 31002, or by visiting www.calhounema.org/alerts.
The NWS has confirmed that while NOAA Weather Radios are currently down, all other channels for issuing watches and warnings — including TV, internet, and mobile alerts — remain fully operational. Radar coverage is also unaffected. Weather services from nearby NWS offices, such as Huntsville and Mobile, are not impacted by the outage.
For questions or additional support, residents can contact the Calhoun County Emergency Management Agency at 256-435-0540.
Calhoun County officials emphasize that staying informed is critical, especially during the spring severe weather season.