Best Weather Radios

Top-rated radios combine usability and accuracy

No radio gets more positive feedback from both expert reviewers and users than the Midland WR-300 (*Est. $50). On his enthusiast website, Graham McClung compares it to two other desktop weather radios and gives it an edge. Among the positives are accessory outlets that let you link the WR-300 to a public-address system or to auxiliary warning devices such as strobe warning lights and pillow vibrators. That means that the Midland WR-300 is an appropriate choice for those who are hearing impaired.

Richard Rhodes, a ham-radio enthusiast who regularly updates his website dealing with radio and other topics, performs an extensive test of the Midland WR-300, describing points to consider when programming a weather radio with Specific Area Messaging Encoding (SAME). Rhodes notes that the Midland WR-300 requires you to get the SAME location codes from websites such as the NOAA.gov and enter them manually. On the upside, blocking unwanted alerts is easy in the Midland WR-300 according to Rhodes, who appreciates that the radio lets users add future alert codes.

The Midland WR-300 is also highly rated at most user-review sites, including Amazon.com, where this weather radio has racked up an impressive 4.5 (out of five) rating after more than 500 reviews. It also scores well at eHam.net, Cabelas.com and RadioShack.com. Most users laud the WR-300's performance as a weather radio. One fairly consistent gripe is that the Midland WR-300's performance as an AM/FM receiver or a clock radio is inferior to its weather radio performance, a problem that Rhodes says arises "when you make a relatively inexpensive device try to do too many things." The WR-300 is Public Alert-certified.

The Midland WR-100 (*Est. $30) is another popular Public Alert-certified weather radio, but it gets mixed reviews. Opinions at eHam.net are split. Some commend the WR-100, but others complain of reception and construction issues. Users at Amazon.com are much happier. The Midland WR-100 averages 4.5 out of five stars there in more than 270 owner reviews. The lack of alert blocking is noted, but it seems to be a factor that clearly bothers some users more than others. The Midland WR-100 also lacks a few other features found in the more expensive WR-300, most notably the ability to receive AM/FM radio signals. There is, however, a built-in time and alarm clock feature, plus the ability to store 25 program codes. Its styling seems to fit better in a bedroom than the WR-300, but the inability to block unwanted alerts could lead to some restless nights for owners. Note that there are three versions of the Midland WR-100 on the market: the WR-100, WR-100B and WR-100C. According to the manufacturer, the difference lies only in the packaging; the units are identical.

AmbientWeather.com recommends the Midland WR-11 (*Est. $25) for its features and reliability. Like the WR-300, it's also an AM/FM radio, although it lacks SAME capability. In addition to NOAA weather alerts, it receives emergency announcements, such as Amber Alerts, nuclear power plant warnings, fire alerts and more. The Midland WR-11 weather radio offers an override feature that switches from radio to emergency alerts, but like the WR-100, it's not possible to filter out unwanted alerts. Casual users who see the Midland WR-11 primarily as an alarm clock and AM/FM radio, with occasional weather alerts as a bonus, are likely to be happy with it.

We also saw some limited, but generally positive, reports on a pair of weather radios made by Reecom. The Reecom R-1650 (*Est. $70) and Reecom R-1630 (*Est. $60) are essentially identical devices. The chief difference is that the pricier R-1650 includes a scanning AM/FM radio with 16 station presets. Both radios are Public Alert-certified and have selectable alert blocking. These are electrical desktop weather radios with whip antennas. The company claims 170 hours of backup power from four AA batteries, and also offers an accessory strobe light (*Est. $28), making this a good radio for the hearing impaired.

The Reecom R-1650 gets a positive review from Graham McClung at Home-Weather-Stations-Guide.com. However, while McClung says it's a good choice that "would satisfy any requirements," he is slightly more impressed by the Midland WR-300 weather radio. A Minnesota blogger who goes only by the name of "Don" has a very positive report on his blog Make It a Masterpiece. He notes that the owner's manual for the Reecom R-1650 is a little clumsy and that there's no way to tell at a glance whether or not the radio is running from batteries or electricity, but he is otherwise is very pleased. In the time he's used the radio, he's had the opportunity to verify that it works as intended.

Reecom weather radios are currently the most highly rated weather alert radios at eHam.net, but there are only several reviews apiece as of our last visit. Reecom radios are hard to find in stores, though they can be ordered from the manufacturer, and both are available on Amazon.com. While we name the Midland WR-300 as the best desktop weather radio choice based on its popularity with reviewers and consumers, the Reecom weather radios should be considered worthy runners-up.

Portable weather radios

Most weather radios are larger desktop units, usually with a carrying handle. A few models are smaller and more portable, but we found mixed reviews for these handheld weather radios.

The Oregon Scientific WR602 (*Est. $65) is a portable, handheld weather radio that meets Public Alert standards. The WR602 weather radio includes a charging cradle and AC/DC power adapter, so as long as it's in the cradle, the included rechargeable nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) battery pack is kept charged (it can also run on three AA batteries). One disadvantage, however, is that unwanted alerts can't be blocked. About two dozen comments at Amazon.com are thus far largely positive, with an average rating of four out of five stars, but several users say the WR602 has poor reception and a weak charger. We also read several comments that the instruction manual is overly complex and tough to understand. The Oregon Scientific WR602 is also available in a kit with a weather station base that's sold as the WRB603 (*Est. $100). The handful of reviews posted at Amazon.com aren't positive for that configuration, though, noting that weather prediction is seldom accurate.

The Radio Shack 12-522 (*Est. $50) is a handheld Public Alert-certified weather radio with SAME capability. Like older Radio Shack models, it is preprogrammed with all U.S. states and counties, which according to enthusiast Richard Rhodes is more a hassle than it is helpful. Users can select their county and up to nine surrounding counties, and it has an auto-tune feature that automatically selects the strongest signal -- helpful in a radio that may primarily be used during travel or outdoor adventures. The Radio Shack 12-522 handheld weather radio gets the most owner feedback of any weather radio sold at RadioShack.com, with 15 reviews and an average rating of four stars out of five at the time of our visit. Some owners say this radio is easy to program, while others complain that programming is difficult. Some user reviews ding it for its alert volume being too loud.