National Weather Service Extends Warning System

March 14, 2003

A ceremony in Prowers County Wednesday officially launched a transmitter which will serve the weather warning needs for a large portion of Kiowa County.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS) dedicated the new All Hazards Warning System for southeast Colorado. The transmitter is the 800th NOAA Weather Radio station in the United States. NOAA Weather Radio, "The Voice of the National Weather Service," is a live, 24-hour source of weather forecasts and warnings broadcast directly from National Weather Service offices. Warning messages will be broadcast for Homeland Security issues, HAZMAT incidents, and Weather hazards.

The transmitter’s call sign is KWN-60, and broadcasts on a frequency of 162.525 MHz. Coverage will include all or parts of Kiowa, Prowers, Bent and Baca counties in Colorado, and Hamilton County, Kansas.

Funding for the transmitter was provided by a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service.