Here's how to sign up to get emergency weather alerts on your phone

ST. LOUIS — Severe weather can happen at any time, even when you least expect it. 

Don't let severe weather catch you by surprise this spring. Here's how you can sign up to receive potentially life-saving alerts straight to your phone.

Wireless Emergency Alerts

Wireless Emergency Alerts, or WEA, are messages sent to your phone from authorized government alerting authorities, according to the National Weather Service. 

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No sign-up is required to receive WEA. Alerts, such as extreme weather, AMBER Alerts and presidential alerts during a national emergency, are automatically sent to WEA-capable phones.

For help turning these alerts on or off on your iPhone, click here. Android users can click here.

St. Louis

NotifySTL is the City of St. Louis' emergency notification system that allows residents, visitors and businesses to opt in to receive notifications based on their location and interests.

Click here to register. You can choose to receive notifications via text, phone or email.

St. Louis County

Sign up to receive text alerts from the St. Louis County Office of Emergency Management in the event of severe weather and other emergencies by texting "SLCOEM" to 78015. Message and data rates may apply depending on your phone carrier.

Weather First

Download the free 5 On Your Side app to your phone, available from the App Store and Google Play, to get the latest watches and warnings and track conditions live with our interactive radar. 

To turn on push notifications, click the settings icon in the top right corner of the 5 On Your Side app. Then, select "Notification Settings," then "Severe Weather Alerts" and make sure that "Severe Weather Alerts" is turned on.

To watch 5 On Your Side broadcasts or reports 24/7, 5 On Your Side is always streaming on 5+. Download for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV or the Apple TV App Store.