> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.xtremewx.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Weather Alerts — Live NWS Warnings for Any US Location

> Check active NWS weather alerts for any US city or coordinates. Snowball ranks warnings, watches, and advisories by severity and walks you through each one.

The `/weather alerts` command pulls live weather alerts from the National Weather Service for any US location you specify. Snowball retrieves every active alert, ranks them from most to least severe, and either shows the top alert immediately or lets you pick from a selection menu when multiple alerts are in effect.

<Note>
  Alerts data comes from the National Weather Service (NWS) and covers the United States only. International locations are not supported.
</Note>

## How to use it

<Steps>
  <Step title="Type the command">
    In any channel, type `/weather alerts`.

    <Tip>
      Start typing your location name and press **Tab** to use autocomplete — Snowball will suggest matching cities and places as you type.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter a location">
    Type a city and state (for example, `Oklahoma City, OK`), a full state name, or a pair of coordinates (`35.47,-97.51`). Snowball geocodes your input and searches for alerts in that area.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Browse the alerts">
    If one alert is active, Snowball displays it right away. If multiple alerts are active, a dropdown menu appears — select the one you want to read. You can also use the **Previous** and **Next** buttons to step through all active alerts in order.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Alert types and ranking

Snowball sorts every active alert by severity so the most urgent information is always shown first.

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Warnings" icon="triangle-exclamation">
    The highest severity. Hazardous conditions are occurring or imminent. Take immediate action.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Watches" icon="eye">
    Conditions are favorable for a hazardous event. Stay alert and be ready to act.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Advisories" icon="circle-info">
    Less severe impacts expected. Be aware and exercise caution.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

When two alerts share the same severity level, Snowball puts the one expiring soonest first.

## What each alert shows

Every alert card includes the following details:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Event type and headline">
    The top of each alert shows the official NWS event name (for example, **Tornado Warning** or **Winter Storm Watch**) and the short headline that summarizes the immediate situation.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Description">
    The full text of the alert is formatted into readable sections. Snowball breaks out fields like **What**, **When**, **Impacts**, and **Hazards** so you can scan the key details quickly.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Recommended actions">
    When the NWS includes protective action instructions in the alert, Snowball displays them under a **Recommended Actions** section.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Expiration time">
    A countdown shows how much time remains before the alert expires — for example, *Expires in 2 hours* or *Expires in 1 day*.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Multiple alerts

When more than one alert is active for your location, Snowball shows a selection menu listing each alert by name and expiration time. Choose the alert you want to view, then use the **Previous** and **Next** navigation buttons to move between the others. The footer of each alert card shows your current position, such as *Alert 2 of 4*.

<Note>
  High-impact events — such as a Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) tornado warning — may be posted automatically to a dedicated alerts channel in the server, even without running the command manually.
</Note>

## No active alerts

If Snowball finds no active alerts for your location, it tells you the area is clear. Check back at any time — the data refreshes with each request.