Filter
Top Products
3
About FIPS Codes
For the purpose of broadcasting emergency/weather information, the
NWS has divided the United States into regions by state and county (or
parish, where applicable) then assigned a 6-digit FIPS code to identify
each county or parish. For example, the code for Tarrant County, Texas,
is 048439.
The first digit in a FIPS code
identifies the county subdivision,
the next two digits identify the state,
and the last three digits identify the
county or parish.
Your radio can receive all S.A.M.E. alert signals broadcasted within about
a 50-mile radius of where you installed it. To receive S.A.M.E. alerts and
broadcasts about emergencies/weather occurring only in particular
counties within that area, you can program up to 20 FIPS codes into the
radios memory. For example, this lets you avoid hearing an alert that
applies to an area within a 50-mile radius but not necessarily to your
county or parish.
Most FIPS codes begin with 0, which means that FIPS code
represents an entire county. The NWS, however, eventually
plans to subdivide some large counties. When that
happens, each subdivision will be assigned a digit from 1-
9, resulting in codes such as 148439, 248439, and so on.
WX500 web OM final.qxd 07/15/2002 4:30 PM Page 3