# NWS Weather Alerts Scraper - Live US Warnings (`thirdwatch/nws-weather-alerts-scraper`) Actor

Export active U.S. National Weather Service alerts by state or territory. Get event, severity, urgency, headline, affected area, timing, instructions, geometry, and official source links. Built for research and data pipelines.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/thirdwatch/nws-weather-alerts-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Thirdwatch](https://apify.com/thirdwatch) (community)
- **Categories:** Education, Automation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.00 / 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.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

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

## NWS Weather Alerts Scraper

Collect active warnings, watches, advisories, and statements directly from the U.S. National Weather Service by state or territory. The Actor preserves emergency instructions, timing, affected areas, severity, certainty, urgency, geometry, and official links.

### What you get

- Current alerts from the official NWS API
- Deduplicated records across multiple area codes
- Optional event, severity, and urgency filters
- GeoJSON geometry and geocodes for maps and routing

### Output fields

`id`, `area_code`, `event`, `headline`, `description`, `instruction`, `severity`, `certainty`, `urgency`, `status`, `area_description`, `effective`, `onset`, `expires`, `ends`, `sender_name`, `geometry`, and `source_url`.

### Example output

```json
{"event":"Flood Warning","headline":"Flood Warning issued by NWS","severity":"Severe","urgency":"Immediate","area_description":"Example County, Texas","effective":"2026-07-21T10:00:00Z","source_url":"https://api.weather.gov/alerts/example"}
```

### Input parameters

| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| `areaCodes` | Two-letter U.S. state or territory codes. |
| `eventTypes` | Optional exact event-name filters. |
| `severities` | Optional severity filters. |
| `urgencies` | Optional urgency filters. |
| `maxResultsPerArea` | Maximum matching alerts saved per area. |

### Use cases

Emergency monitoring, logistics alerts, travel risk, insurance workflows, local news, public-safety maps, and automated notifications.

### Limitations

Only alerts active at run time are returned, so quiet areas may produce no rows. NWS may update or cancel alerts after collection. Do not use any automated feed as the sole source for life-safety decisions.

### Compared to alternatives

Unlike broad weather products, this Actor focuses on detailed official alert records and simple multi-area exports. Try the [NWS Weather Alerts Scraper](https://apify.com/thirdwatch/nws-weather-alerts-scraper), browse [Thirdwatch on Apify](https://apify.com/thirdwatch), or see the [NWS Actor page](https://thirdwatch.dev/actors/nws-weather-alerts-scraper).

### FAQ

**Does it forecast weather?** No. It exports active NWS hazard messages.

**Are duplicates charged twice?** No. Duplicate alert IDs within a run are saved once.

Open the [input form](https://apify.com/thirdwatch/nws-weather-alerts-scraper?tab=input) or review [recent runs](https://apify.com/thirdwatch/nws-weather-alerts-scraper?tab=runs).

Last verified: 2026-07

# Actor input Schema

## `areaCodes` (type: `array`):

Two-letter U.S. state or territory codes. Examples: TX, CA, FL, PR.

## `eventTypes` (type: `array`):

Optional exact event filters, such as Flood Warning or Tornado Watch. Leave empty for all events.

## `severities` (type: `array`):

Optional exact severity filters: Extreme, Severe, Moderate, Minor, or Unknown.

## `urgencies` (type: `array`):

Optional exact urgency filters: Immediate, Expected, Future, Past, or Unknown.

## `maxResultsPerArea` (type: `integer`):

Stop after this many matching alerts for each area code.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "areaCodes": [
    "TX"
  ],
  "eventTypes": [
    "Flood Warning"
  ],
  "severities": [
    "Severe"
  ],
  "urgencies": [
    "Immediate"
  ],
  "maxResultsPerArea": 10
}
```

# 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 = {
    "areaCodes": [
        "TX"
    ],
    "eventTypes": [
        "Flood Warning"
    ],
    "severities": [
        "Severe"
    ],
    "urgencies": [
        "Immediate"
    ],
    "maxResultsPerArea": 10
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("thirdwatch/nws-weather-alerts-scraper").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 = {
    "areaCodes": ["TX"],
    "eventTypes": ["Flood Warning"],
    "severities": ["Severe"],
    "urgencies": ["Immediate"],
    "maxResultsPerArea": 10,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("thirdwatch/nws-weather-alerts-scraper").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 '{
  "areaCodes": [
    "TX"
  ],
  "eventTypes": [
    "Flood Warning"
  ],
  "severities": [
    "Severe"
  ],
  "urgencies": [
    "Immediate"
  ],
  "maxResultsPerArea": 10
}' |
apify call thirdwatch/nws-weather-alerts-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

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/zyew6MHlWeMinUoV1/builds/rqKef1Jq6BgKEpI0W/openapi.json