- NOAA Weather Radio’s Boston transmitter is KHB35 on 162.475 MHz.
- NWR broadcasts warnings, watches and forecasts 24 hours a day.
- A battery radio keeps working when power and internet do not.
Boston weather is famous for changing its mind, and the region gets everything from blizzards and nor’easters to coastal flooding and the remains of tropical storms. The good news is that you have several free sources, and each is best at something different.
The official source: the National Weather Service
Every official watch and warning for Greater Boston starts with the National Weather Service forecast office for Boston and Norton, Massachusetts. TV meteorologists add their own forecasts and graphics, but warnings themselves are issued by the Weather Service. Its website, weather.gov/box, carries forecasts, radar and active alerts for the area.
NOAA Weather Radio: the one that works when everything else is down
NOAA Weather Radio, which NOAA calls the Voice of the National Weather Service, broadcasts official warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. NOAA describes it as an all-hazards network that works with the FCC’s Emergency Alert System, carrying warnings for non-weather emergencies too.
| Transmitter | Call sign | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Boston | KHB35 | 162.475 MHz |
| Providence | WXJ39 | 162.400 MHz |
| Worcester | WXL93 | 162.550 MHz |
| Hyannis | KEC73 | 162.550 MHz |
The Boston office’s own transmitter list shows KHB35 Boston at 162.475 MHz serving counties including Essex and Bristol, alongside other transmitters for the rest of southern New England. Weather Radio uses seven VHF frequencies between 162.400 and 162.550 MHz, so it needs a weather radio or a scanner; an ordinary FM radio will not tune it.
Tip: When you buy a weather radio, look for one you can program for your own county, and set it up the day you bring it home rather than during the next storm.
Local TV and radio weather teams
Boston’s TV stations all run weather teams, and several push their forecasts to apps. 7News (WHDH), for example, offers a separate 7Weather app with live interactive radar. On the radio, WBZ NewsRadio 1030 runs traffic and weather together on the 3s, which makes it easy to catch a forecast in the car. See Boston Radio Stations by Frequency: FM and AM Dial Guide for the rest of the dial.
Reading a forecast like a local
Watches and warnings mean different things. A watch means conditions are favorable for a hazard; a warning means it is happening or about to. When a station’s meteorologist and the National Weather Service seem to disagree, remember that the warnings themselves come from the Weather Service. TV forecasts add local detail, timing and context, which is exactly what you want once you know a warning is in place.
Coastal neighborhoods deserve extra attention in nor’easters, because wind-driven high tides can flood low streets near the water even when inland towns see only rain. If you live near the harbor or the coast, follow the forecast and any coastal flood statements for your area.
Radio stations to keep in mind
| If you want | Where to tune |
|---|---|
| Weather Service warnings around the clock | NOAA Weather Radio, KHB35 on 162.475 MHz |
| A quick forecast in the car | WBZ NewsRadio 1030 AM, traffic and weather together on the 3s |
| Public radio news with forecasts | WBUR 90.9 FM or GBH 89.7 FM |
Before a big storm
- Charge phones and power banks, and put fresh batteries in a radio.
- Turn on weather alerts in at least one station app and keep phone emergency alerts enabled.
- Know which AM or FM news station you will tune to if power fails.
- Program your weather radio for your county.
- If you rely on an outdoor antenna, check its mount before the wind arrives; see Rooftop TV Antennas in New England Weather: Safety, Grounding and Storms.
During the storm
When power and internet drop, streams and smart speakers go silent first. A battery radio keeps working, and an antenna TV can too if you have backup power. That is why it is worth knowing your local stations on the dial before you need them.
If you depend on medical equipment that needs power, make a plan before winter that does not rely on watching TV. A battery or hand-crank radio tuned to a news station, a charged phone with alerts on, and a weather radio set up for your county together cover most situations, even during a long outage.
Keep a short written list of your go-to sources by the radio: the weather radio channel, one AM and one FM news station, and the station apps you use. In the middle of a storm, with the lights out, nobody wants to search.
After the storm
Storm damage can knock TV and radio transmitters off the air for a while. NOAA keeps an outage list for Weather Radio transmitters on its website. If a TV station vanishes after a storm, wait and rescan later rather than moving your antenna immediately; the problem may be at the transmitter, not your house. For how warnings reach your phone and TV, read Emergency Alerts on Boston TV, Radio and Phones: How EAS and WEA Work.