About FIPS Codes

For the purpose of broadcasting 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.

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.

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 weather occurring only in particular counties within that area, you can program up to 20 FIPS codes into the radio’s 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.

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Uniden WX100 manual About Fips Codes