# US Weather Alerts: NWS Warnings, Watches & Advisories (`smilemask/us-weather-alerts-nws`) Actor

Get every active NWS weather alert for a US state: event (tornado warning, flood advisory...), severity, urgency, certainty, headline, affected areas, onset/expiry times, description and safety instructions. Free official weather.gov API, no key, public data. For alert bots, logistics, insurance.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/smilemask/us-weather-alerts-nws.md
- **Developed by:** [돈벼락](https://apify.com/smilemask) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.80 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## US Weather Alerts: NWS Warnings, Watches & Advisories

Get every active NWS weather alert for a US state: event (tornado warning, flood advisory...), severity, urgency, certainty, headline, affected areas, onset/expiry times, description and safety instructions. Free official weather.gov API, no key, public data. For alert bots, logistics, insurance.

### What does US Weather Alerts do?

Active National Weather Service warnings, watches and advisories for any US state or marine zone.

### What can you use it for?

- Send severe-weather notifications to Slack or email with a scheduled run.
- Monitor flood, fire and winter storm warnings across your store or warehouse locations.
- Feed live hazard alerts into logistics, insurance or field-service dashboards.
- Archive NWS alerts for a state over time for research.

### Why use this Actor?

- **Fast and cheap:** lightweight HTTP-based Actor with no browser, so runs finish in seconds and cost very little.
- **No API keys or accounts needed** for the data source (see notes below).
- **Clean, structured JSON** that you can export as CSV, Excel, JSON or XML, or pull through the Apify API and integrations.
- **Scheduling, webhooks and integrations:** run it daily and send results to Google Sheets, Slack, Zapier, Make, n8n or your own API.

### Input

Configure the run in the **Input** tab (all fields have sensible defaults).

| Field | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `area` | string | yes | - | 2-letter US state, territory or marine area code, e.g. TX, CA, FL. |
| `severity` | string (Extreme / Severe / Moderate / Minor / Unknown) | no | - | Only return alerts of this severity. |
| `event` | string | no | - | Exact NWS event name, e.g. Tornado Warning, Flood Advisory, Red Flag Warning. |
| `maxResults` | integer | no | `100` | Maximum number of alerts. |

#### Example input

```json
{
  "area": "TX",
  "maxResults": 50
}
```

### Output

Results are stored in the default dataset. Download them from the **Output** tab or via the API.

#### Example result

```json
{
  "id": "urn:oid:2.49.0.1.840.0.6f4394b6a249014254b09a983a5bb047d3247501.001.1",
  "event": "Flood Warning",
  "severity": "Severe",
  "urgency": "Immediate",
  "certainty": "Observed",
  "headline": "Flood Warning issued October 16 at 2:25PM CDT until October 20 at 3:15AM CDT by NWS Norman OK",
  "areaDesc": "Wichita, TX; Wilbarger, TX",
  "sent": "2026-10-16T14:25:00-05:00",
  "onset": "2026-10-18T01:00:00-05:00",
  "expires": "2026-10-17T02:30:00-05:00",
  "ends": "2026-10-20T03:15:00-05:00",
  "senderName": "NWS Norman OK",
  "messageType": "Update",
  "response": "Avoid",
  "description": "...The Flood Warning is extended for the following rivers in Texas... Beaver Creek near Electra affecting Wilbarger and Wichita Counties. * WHAT...Minor floo...",
  "instruction": "Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Additional information is available at www.weather.gov. The ne...",
  "zoneCodes": "TXC485, TXC487",
  "url": "https://api.weather.gov/alerts/urn:oid:2.49.0.1.840.0.6f4394b6a249014254b09a983a5bb047d3247501.001.1",
  "license": "U.S. Government Work - public domain (NOAA National Weather Service)",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-10-16T20:40:27.927Z"
}
```

#### Output fields

| Field | Type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| `id` | string | "urn:oid:2.49.0.1.840.0.6f4394b6a249014254b09a983a5bb047d... |
| `event` | string | "Flood Warning" |
| `severity` | string | "Severe" |
| `urgency` | string | "Immediate" |
| `certainty` | string | "Observed" |
| `headline` | string | "Flood Warning issued October 16 at 2:25PM CDT until Octo... |
| `areaDesc` | string | "Wichita, TX; Wilbarger, TX" |
| `sent` | string | "2026-10-16T14:25:00-05:00" |
| `onset` | string | "2026-10-18T01:00:00-05:00" |
| `expires` | string | "2026-10-17T02:30:00-05:00" |
| `ends` | string | "2026-10-20T03:15:00-05:00" |
| `senderName` | string | "NWS Norman OK" |
| `messageType` | string | "Update" |
| `response` | string | "Avoid" |
| `description` | string | "...The Flood Warning is extended for the following river... |
| `instruction` | string | "Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads... |
| `zoneCodes` | string | "TXC485, TXC487" |
| `url` | string | "https://api.weather.gov/alerts/urn:oid:2.49.0.1.840.0.6f... |
| `license` | string | "U.S. Government Work - public domain (NOAA National Weat... |
| `scrapedAt` | string | "2026-10-16T20:40:27.927Z" |

### How much does it cost?

The Actor is billed by Apify according to the pricing shown on the **Pricing** tab of this page. Runs are small and fast, and the Apify Free plan includes monthly platform credits so you can try it at no cost. You can set a maximum cost per run, and the Actor stops cleanly when that limit is reached.

### Notes and limitations

- Only currently active alerts are returned; expired alerts drop out of the feed automatically.
- Use a 2-letter US state or territory code (TX, CA, FL, PR...) or a marine area code (e.g. GM for Gulf of Mexico).

### Tips

- Start with a small test run, then scale up the input.
- Use **Schedules** to automate recurring runs and **Webhooks** or **Integrations** to deliver the data where you need it.
- Call the Actor from your code with the Apify API or the official JavaScript and Python clients.

### FAQ

**What do severity and urgency mean?**

Severity is Extreme, Severe, Moderate, Minor or Unknown; urgency is Immediate, Expected, Future, Past or Unknown, following the CAP alert standard.

**How fresh is the data?**

Live: the National Weather Service publishes alerts to this API within seconds of issuing them.

### Feedback

Found a bug or need an extra field? Open an issue from the **Issues** tab of this Actor and it will be looked at quickly.

### More tools from the same author

- [Global Weather Forecast by Coordinates: Hourly (Bulk)](https://apify.com/SmileMask/weather-forecast-met-norway) - Hourly weather forecasts for any coordinates worldwide from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute.
- [USGS River & Stream Conditions: Live Flow & Gage Height](https://apify.com/SmileMask/usgs-river-stream-conditions) - Live streamflow, gage height and water temperature for any USGS water monitoring site in the US.
- [USGS Earthquake Data: Magnitude, Location & Depth Feed](https://apify.com/SmileMask/usgs-earthquake-feed) - Recent and historical earthquakes worldwide from USGS: magnitude, place, time, depth and tsunami flags.

# Changelog

This Actor's version history is a separate document: https://apify.com/smilemask/us-weather-alerts-nws/changelog.md

# Actor input Schema

## `area` (type: `string`):

2-letter US state, territory or marine area code, e.g. TX, CA, FL.

## `severity` (type: `string`):

Only return alerts of this severity.

## `event` (type: `string`):

Exact NWS event name, e.g. Tornado Warning, Flood Advisory, Red Flag Warning.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of alerts.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "area": "TX",
  "maxResults": 50
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "area": "TX",
    "maxResults": 50
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("smilemask/us-weather-alerts-nws").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "area": "TX",
    "maxResults": 50,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("smilemask/us-weather-alerts-nws").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "area": "TX",
  "maxResults": 50
}' |
apify call smilemask/us-weather-alerts-nws --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,smilemask/us-weather-alerts-nws"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/84Yqq5fc3kEXLgRzB/builds/iBT7q3n4hnI4UwGX0/openapi.json