How to Trigger Notifications Based on National Weather Service (NWS) Alerts

What's New?

Perry Weather has officially added support for National Weather Service (NWS) policies. Previously, NWS alerts were an all-or-nothing setting—you either received a fixed set of alerts, or none at all.

Now, NWS alerts function just like any other weather policies in your dashboard, giving users more granular control over the specific NWS alerts they wish to receive. You can now:

• 🌦️ Customize the NWS Alert Type: Choose the specific NWS alerts you wish to be notified for. We support the following NWS events:
  • Air Quality
  • Dense Fog
  • Fire
  • Flood
  • Geological
  • Heat
  • Hurricane
  • Marine
  • Severe Weather
  • Wind
  • Winter Storm
• 📊 Set Severity Levels: Taking it a step further, you can filter which NWS alerts you’d like to receive. Severity levels can range from “Statement” to “Warning”, as well as a brief explanation of the level.
• 📋 Assignments: Like traditional policies, users can choose which location and user groups this policy applies to.

In the near future, you’ll additionally be able to:

• 🔊 Trigger OWS via NWS Alerts: Instantly notify on-site staff and individuals via on-site hardware.
• 📈 Policy Activity Reporting via NWS Alerts: Like your current policies, you’ll be able to view the amount of time spent in a specific NWS alert, as well as the severity level of the alert.
• 📡 Trigger StormBridge Devices and Send Webhooks: NWS policy alerts will be able to trigger StormBridge (i.e - When a “Warning” severity alert is sent, park splashpads automatically turn off).

How to Setup National Weather Service (NWS) Policies

To enable or customize your NWS alerts, navigate to the Policy tab and click New Policy. Give your new NWS policy a name, and follow these steps to configure your settings:

1. Choose the Weather Variable: Select “National Weather Service” from the available weather variables.

2. Select Alert Types: Choose one or more alert categories to monitor. We have grouped NWS alerts into 11 distinct categories.

3. Set the Severity Level: Select the minimum urgency level you wish to be notified about.
   1. Options: Statement (Lowest) → Advisory → Watch → Warning (Highest)
   2. How it Works: Selecting a severity level includes all alerts at that level and higher. For example, selecting “Watch” will alert you for both Watches and Warnings, but not advisories.
   3. Notifications: Ensure the notification toggle is in the ON position to receive alerts.
   4. Note: The number of severity levels available (1-4) varies depending on the specific alert type.

4. Assign Locations and User Groups: Select which Locations and User Groups this policy applies to.
   1. Required Policy: Enable this toggle if you want to enforce this policy for the selected groups (preventing them from opting out)

5. Assign Webhooks (Optional): If you utilize third-party integrations, select any webhooks that should receive these NWS policy alerts.

You have now successfully set up a NWS policy in your Perry Weather dashboard.