The Edit — Home & Garden
Weather Radios 2026: NOAA Alerts When the Power Is Out
4 Midland weather radios, from a SAME bedside alarm that wakes you for your own county to a hand-crank radio that charges a phone. Which one belongs on the nightstand, and which in the outage kit.
This guide is research-led: we have not handled these units ourselves. If you buy through our links we may earn a commission — it never changes a pick.Research-led, nothing handled. We may earn from links; it never changes a pick. How we choose
The 4 radios here are ranked by how Amazon shoppers rate them, then compared on what the maker publishes about alerts, power and charging, as How we choose describes. Nothing here was handled or tested.
Best for The nightstand
Watch for No AM/FM or USB
Best for A siren, a bed shaker
Watch for Wall or AA only
Best for The outage kit
Watch for SAME not stated
Best for A glovebox
Watch for AA only
SAME coding is what makes a weather radio worth leaving on
SAME, Specific Area Message Encoding, tags each alert with the counties it covers, so a radio set to yours stays silent for warnings elsewhere. All 4 radios here are Midland, whose own pages publish full specifications for each. Only 2 of them, the WR120B and the WR400, state SAME on Midland’s own pages. The other 2 sound for any alert they receive, which suits a radio you switch on in an outage rather than one left on all year.
| Radio | SAME | Power | Charges a phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| WR120B | Yes | Wall + 3 AA | No |
| WR400 | Yes, 25 counties | Wall + 4 AA | Yes, USB-A |
| ER310PRO | Not stated | Crank, solar, USB-C | Yes, USB-A |
| ER10VP | Not stated | 3 AA | No |
The Midland WR120B is the bedside alert radio
The Midland WR120B plugs into the wall, keeps 3 AA batteries as backup, and listens to all 7 NOAA channels. It can be set to 1 county, several or any. Midland lists more than 80 alert types, AMBER alerts included, sounded by voice, tone and display, with a snooze alarm clock and jacks for an external antenna or alert device. It carries a 3-year warranty.
Midland WR120B NOAA Weather Radio with SAME
A plug-in NOAA alert radio with SAME county coding, voice, tone and display alerts, and 3 AA batteries as backup.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Alerts | SAME; voice, tone, display |
|---|---|
| Power | AC adapter + 3 AA backup |
| Warranty | 3 years |
A plug-in SAME radio that wakes you for your own county, with batteries as backup.
Buy it if
- A bedside alarm that wakes the house for a warning
Don't buy it if
- NOAA only: no AM/FM, no USB port
The WR400 adds a siren, AM/FM and a bed-shaker jack
The Midland WR400 Deluxe covers up to 25 counties and adds a siren to the voice and tone alerts. It also plays AM and FM, charges a phone from a 5 V, 1 A USB port, and has jacks for an external strobe or a bed shaker. Midland gives it a 3-year warranty, like the WR120B. It runs on the wall or 4 AA batteries.
Midland WR400 Deluxe NOAA Weather Radio with SAME
A SAME alert radio for up to 25 counties with a siren, AM/FM, a 5 V USB port and jacks for a strobe or bed shaker.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Alerts | SAME, 25 counties; siren |
|---|---|
| Bands | NOAA, AM, FM |
| Power | AC adapter + 4 AA backup |
A siren, AM/FM and a bed-shaker jack, for a heavy sleeper or a hard-of-hearing household.
Buy it if
- A heavy sleeper, or a deaf or hard-of-hearing household with a bed shaker
Don't buy it if
- Needs the wall or 4 AA: no crank, no solar
The ER310PRO recharges itself and charges a phone
The Midland ER310PRO has a 10,000 mAh battery that recharges from USB-C, a hand crank or its solar panel. Midland says it charges most phones 3 times from its 5 V, 2.1 A USB-A port. It plays NOAA, AM, FM and Bluetooth, and adds a flashlight with an SOS beacon. Midland’s page describes weather alerts with a siren and a flashing light but does not state SAME coding.
Midland ER310PRO Emergency Weather Radio with Bluetooth
A NOAA, AM and FM radio with a 10,000 mAh battery that recharges by USB-C, crank or solar, and charges a phone.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Power | 10,000 mAh; crank, solar, USB-C |
|---|---|
| Output | USB-A, 5 V at 2.1 A |
| Extras | Flashlight, SOS beacon, Bluetooth |
A crank-and-solar radio that keeps a phone alive through a long outage.
Buy it if
- A multi-day outage with no way to charge a phone
Don't buy it if
- Midland's page does not state SAME coding
The ER10VP is the small radio for the glovebox
The Midland ER10VP runs on 3 AA batteries and plays NOAA, AM and FM, with a weather alert that sounds a siren and flashes a light. It adds a flashlight with low, high and SOS strobe modes and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. Midland says it can receive a weather station up to 50 miles away. It suits a car kit or a go-bag, with spare batteries beside it.
Midland ER10VP Emergency Weather Alert Radio
A small NOAA, AM and FM radio on 3 AA batteries, with a siren-and-light weather alert and a 3-mode flashlight.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Bands | NOAA, AM, FM |
|---|---|
| Power | 3 AA |
| Extras | Flashlight with SOS strobe |
A pocket radio and flashlight on AA batteries, for the car or a go-bag.
Buy it if
- A glovebox, a go-bag or a camp
Don't buy it if
- Disposable batteries only; no SAME stated
A weather radio belongs beside the rest of the outage kit
A weather radio tells you what is coming; the rest of the kit gets you through it. The power stations guide covers keeping the fridge and phones running, and the winter car emergency kit is where a small radio like the ER10VP rides. The polar vortex guide covers this month’s cold.
Prices, savings and deal badges are Amazon's own, read from Amazon within the last hour. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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Best for the nightstand
Midland WR120B NOAA Weather Radio with SAME