Best Emergency Radios for Power Outages

What the National Weather Service says to look for

NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards is a network of more than 1,000 transmitters that broadcast National Weather Service warnings, watches and forecasts 24 hours a day. It broadcasts on seven VHF frequencies from 162.400 to 162.550 MHz, which a plain AM/FM radio can’t receive. The NWS doesn’t endorse brands, but it recommends looking for the Public Alert or NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards logo and lists these features:

• Tone alarm. The NWS sends a 1050 Hz tone before most warnings and many watches. It turns on equipped receivers even when the audio is off, which matters at night.
• SAME. Specific Area Message Encoding lets you pick your county, so the radio responds only to alerts for that area. This cuts false alarms for storms a few counties away.
• Battery backup. Power outages often happen during storms. The NWS recommends keeping a non-portable receiver on AC power to preserve its batteries.
• External antenna jack. It helps where the built-in antenna isn’t enough.

Quick picks

Specifications are from each maker’s product page, checked October 5, 2026.

The picks

Midland ER310: best all-round outage radio

The Midland ER310 covers the most power situations. Midland lists a 3500 mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery rated for up to 45 hours of normal use, plus solar and hand-crank charging. It also takes six AA batteries as a backup (not included), which is the path to keep ready for a long outage. Midland says its weather alerts sound when an alert is issued on the local channel. It does not list SAME county programming.

It adds a 1400-lux Cree LED flashlight with an SOS beacon and an ultrasonic dog whistle, and measures 8.0 by 3.4 by 2.4 inches. Don’t count on it to charge a phone. Midland’s FAQ says it was designed to give an emergency-only charge, and that it won’t charge newer phones at the expense of its own battery. The Midland ER310 review covers its power paths and reception in more detail.

Midland WR120B: best for overnight alerts

The Midland WR120B (Search Amazon for Midland WR120B ) is a desktop weather alert radio rather than a crank radio. Midland says it is Public Alert certified and uses SAME, so you program your county and get alerts for it. It runs on the included AC adapter and switches to three AA batteries (not included) when the power goes out. Midland lists a 90 dB siren, selectable alert tones, color-coded alert indicators and an alarm clock.

Midland’s FAQ notes that alerts such as tornado warnings are always on and can’t be turned off. That matches the NWS advice to keep a fixed receiver on AC power with battery backup. It has no crank or solar panel, so keep spare AA batteries for a long outage.

Midland ER40: best for a go-bag

The Midland ER40 (Search Amazon for Midland ER40 ) is Midland’s compact crank radio. It receives AM, FM and NOAA weather information and alerts, and charges from a replaceable 2600 mAh lithium-ion battery, a solar panel or the hand crank. Midland lists a flashlight with an SOS strobe, a backlit LCD display, a low-battery indicator, USB charging for small devices and a wrist lanyard.

It suits a go-bag or a car kit. Unlike the ER310, Midland does not list an AA backup, so keep it charged and check it on a schedule.

Sangean MMR-99: best for listening

The Sangean MMR-99 (Search Amazon for Sangean MMR-99 ) is the pick if you will spend hours listening to news or music during an outage. The U.S. (FCC) version receives AM, FM-RDS and all seven NOAA weather channels with weather alerts, and adds Bluetooth streaming and an AUX input. Sangean lists 20 presets each for AM and FM and 5 for the weather band.

It charges by hand crank, solar panel or USB-C, runs on an 18650 lithium battery rated at 2600 mAh, and can charge small devices from a USB-A port rated at 5V/1A. Sangean rates it IP55 against dust and water and fits three flashlights.

How to choose an emergency radio

• Decide who needs waking. For alerts while you sleep, the NWS points to SAME, a tone alarm and battery backup. Of these picks, only the WR120B lists SAME and Public Alert certification.
• Count your power paths. A crank and solar panel let you recharge without the grid, and an AA backup (ER310, WR120B) lets you swap in fresh cells.
• Check reception where the radio lives. Find your nearest transmitter on the NWS NOAA Weather Radio site, then test the radio in the room where you’ll keep it.
• Keep it ready. Charge the rechargeable radios and replace AA batteries on a schedule.
• Don’t rely on it as a phone charger. Treat USB output as an emergency top-up.

The weather radio battery backup guide covers battery types in more detail.

Which emergency radio to buy

For most homes, buy the Midland ER310 as the household outage radio and keep six AA batteries with it. Add a Midland WR120B by the bed if severe weather is a risk where you live, since it is the only pick here with SAME county alerts. Choose the ER40 for each go-bag, and the Sangean MMR-99 if audio and Bluetooth matter more than a fixed alarm. For the rest of the kit, see the 72-hour emergency kit guide and the home emergency kit checklist .

Choosing a radio as a gift? It is the top pick in our preparedness gift guide .

Sources checked

• National Weather Service: NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards
• National Weather Service: NWR Receivers
• Ready.gov: Build a Kit
• Midland: ER310 Portable Emergency Crank Weather Radio
• Midland: WR120 NOAA Weather and Emergency Alert Radio
• Midland: ER40 Portable Emergency Weather Alert Crank Radio
• Sangean: MMR-99 FCC Weather Alert Emergency Radio