Radios

6 Best Emergency Radios for Storms and Outages in 2026

A hand-crank emergency radio on a windowsill at dusk with rain on the glass

The short answer

Pick an emergency radio with the NOAA weather band and at least two ways to power it. Add an alert radio with SAME county coding if storms can hit while you sleep.

Last updated September 2026

Contents12

Our top 6 picks

  1. 1Best all-round crank emergency radio
    Midland ER310 Emergency Crank Radio
    Midland ER310 Emergency Crank RadioView at MidlandRead our analysis
  2. 2Best bedside weather alert radio
    Midland WR120B NOAA Weather Alert Radio
    Midland WR120B NOAA Weather Alert RadioView at MidlandRead our analysis
  3. 3Best compact crank radio for a go-bag
    FosPower A1 Emergency Weather Radio
    FosPower A1 Emergency Weather RadioView at FosPowerRead our analysis
  4. 4Best for charging phones
    Raynic CR1009 Emergency Weather Radio
    Raynic CR1009 Emergency Weather RadioView at RaynicRead our analysis
  5. 5Best low-cost backup
    FosPower A3 4000mAh Emergency Crank Radio
    FosPower A3 4000mAh Emergency Crank RadioView at FosPowerRead our analysis
  6. 6Best simple AA battery radio
    PRUNUS J161 NOAA Weather Radio
    PRUNUS J161 NOAA Weather RadioView at PRUNUSRead our analysis

An emergency radio keeps you informed when the power is out and phones are slow or dead. Ready.gov lists a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, plus a NOAA weather radio with tone alert, as part of a basic kit. The right one depends on one question: do you need it to wake you up, or to keep you informed once you are awake?

#1. Midland ER310: best all-round crank emergency radio

Standout: a well-known Midland emergency radio with NOAA weather and AM/FM bands, a crank and a solar panel. Compare options in our Midland ER310 guide.

#2. Midland WR120B: best bedside weather alert radio

Midland WR120B NOAA Weather Alert Radio

Midland WR120B NOAA Weather Alert Radio

Our verdict:

Best bedside weather alert radio

Best for waking you when a warning is issued for your county at night.

View at Midland

Keep in mind: it is a plug-in alert radio with battery backup, not a crank radio. Pair it with a crank radio for your kit.

Standout: SAME county coding, so it sounds only for alerts that cover the counties you enter, with color-coded alert lights. Compare options in our best weather radio picks.

#3. FosPower A1: best compact crank radio for a go-bag

Standout: three power sources (crank, solar and AAA batteries), a flashlight and reading light, and a small power bank for a phone. Compare options in our hand crank radio picks.

#4. Raynic 5000mAh Radio: best for charging phones

Raynic CR1009 Emergency Weather Radio

Raynic CR1009 Emergency Weather Radio

Our verdict:

Best for charging phones

Best for a household that wants one device for news and light that can also charge a phone.

View at Raynic

Keep in mind: more features mean more buttons. Learn the controls before you need them.

Standout: a larger battery than most crank radios, plus NOAA alert scanning and shortwave. It also has several ways to charge. Compare options in our hand crank radio picks.

#5. FosPower A3 4000mAh Emergency Crank Radio: best low-cost backup

Standout: NOAA and AM/FM bands, a flashlight, and three power sources in a small body. Compare options in our hand crank radio picks.

#6. PRUNUS J161: best simple AA battery radio

PRUNUS J161 NOAA Weather Radio

PRUNUS J161 NOAA Weather Radio

Our verdict:

Best simple AA battery radio

Best for anyone who wants plain knobs and no charging to think about.

View at PRUNUS

Keep in mind: no crank or solar. Store spare AA batteries with it.

Standout: it runs on two AA batteries and covers the seven NOAA weather channels plus AM and FM. Compare options in our best weather radio picks.

Factors to consider when choosing an emergency radio

Four features matter more than the rest.

  • NOAA weather band. NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts National Weather Service warnings and forecasts around the clock. The NOAA radio frequency guide explains the seven channels.
  • Alert mode. An alert radio can stay silent and switch on for a warning. With SAME coding, it sounds only for your county.
  • Two or more power sources. Batteries, a crank, solar, or USB. If one fails, another still works.
  • A sound you can hear. A loud speaker and a clear display matter more than extra gadgets.

Phone charging is useful, but a crank radio's battery is small. Treat it as a way to top up a phone for a call, not to run it all day.

How we picked these emergency radios

We started from Ready.gov's build-a-kit list and the National Weather Service's NOAA Weather Radio pages. Each pick receives the NOAA weather band. We then covered the two jobs a radio does: sounding an alarm, and keeping you informed through a long outage. Details come from each listing, so check the current page before you buy.

Two radios, two jobs

Many homes do best with two radios. A plug-in alert radio by the bed wakes you for a tornado or flash flood warning at night. The best weather radio guide compares alert models.

A crank radio in the kit keeps you informed when the power is out for days. The hand crank radio guide compares those. If you like the Midland range, the Midland weather radio guide sorts its models by use.

Keeping an emergency radio ready

Test it once a month. The National Weather Service runs a weekly test on most transmitters, which is a good time to check an alert radio. Charge crank radios every few months and replace batteries once a year. Store the radio with your kit, not in a drawer across the house.

A radio is one line in a bigger plan. The family emergency plan guide covers the rest, and the emergency hurricane kit guide shows where a radio fits in storm season.

More in this guide

More Plainly Prepared guides

Our picks in this topic

Questions people also ask

Do I need the NOAA weather band, or is a regular radio enough?

Get the weather band. NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts National Weather Service warnings around the clock, and alert models can sound an alarm even when the radio is quiet.

Is a hand crank actually useful?

Yes, as a backup when batteries run out in a long outage. Cranking is slow, so keep the radio charged and store spare batteries too.

What is SAME on a weather radio?

SAME stands for Specific Area Message Encoding. You enter your county code, and the radio only sounds for alerts that cover your area.

Where should I keep an emergency radio?

An alert radio belongs where you sleep, so it can wake you. A crank radio belongs in your kit or go-bag, ready to grab.