National Weather ServiceProducts by typeArchive to October 1, 2026
Every NWS warning, watch and advisory, counted
The National Weather Service issues 50 kinds of warning, watch and advisory often enough to count; the most frequent is the severe thunderstorm warning, with 23,433 in 2025 and 20,005 a year on average in 2008-2025.
Warnings
| Product | 2025 | Yearly average 2008-2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Thunderstorm Warning | 23,433 | 20,005 |
| Flood Warning | 4,230 | 5,603 |
| Flash Flood Warning | 5,219 | 3,924 |
| Tornado Warning | 3,014 | 2,804 |
| Red Flag Warning | 957 | 1,154 |
| Winter Storm Warning | 660 | 705 |
| Freeze Warning | 477 | 611 |
| High Wind Warning | 620 | 578 |
| Snow Squall Warning (since 2018) | 316 | 222 |
| Heavy Snow Warning | 0 | 215 |
| Extreme Heat Warning | 183 | 153 |
| Blizzard Warning | 125 | 122 |
| Extreme Cold Warning | 165 | 91 |
| Dust Storm Warning | 350 | 71 |
| Coastal Flood Warning | 50 | 63 |
| Lake Effect Snow Warning | 47 | 42 |
| High Surf Warning | 20 | 26 |
| Ice Storm Warning | 38 | 25 |
Source: Iowa Environmental Mesonet archive of National Weather Service watches, warnings and advisories (VTEC); National Weather Service. Data as of October 1, 2026.
Watches
| Product | 2025 | Yearly average 2008-2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Fire Weather Watch | 576 | 771 |
| Winter Storm Watch | 626 | 616 |
| Flood Watch | 1,044 | 599 |
| Flash Flood Watch | 35 | 496 |
| Severe Thunderstorm Watch | 448 | 445 |
| High Wind Watch | 434 | 375 |
| Freeze Watch | 265 | 284 |
| Tornado Watch | 197 | 213 |
| Extreme Heat Watch | 117 | 74 |
| Blizzard Watch | 0 | 56 |
| Coastal Flood Watch | 37 | 45 |
| Lake Effect Snow Watch | 0 | 33 |
| Extreme Cold Watch | 78 | 27 |
Source: Iowa Environmental Mesonet archive of National Weather Service watches, warnings and advisories (VTEC); National Weather Service. Data as of October 1, 2026.
Advisories
| Product | 2025 | Yearly average 2008-2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Flood Advisory | 10,035 | 9,192 |
| Winter Weather Advisory | 2,099 | 2,088 |
| Wind Advisory | 1,816 | 1,844 |
| Dense Fog Advisory | 1,882 | 1,470 |
| Snow Advisory | 0 | 850 |
| Heat Advisory | 962 | 638 |
| Frost Advisory | 602 | 547 |
| Coastal Flood Advisory | 474 | 474 |
| Cold Weather Advisory | 782 | 455 |
| Lake Wind Advisory | 172 | 332 |
| Snow and Blowing Advisory | 0 | 303 |
| High Surf Advisory | 248 | 246 |
| Freezing Rain Advisory | 0 | 174 |
| Dust Advisory (since 2018) | 238 | 151 |
| Lake Effect Snow Advisory | 0 | 116 |
| Blowing Snow Advisory | 0 | 100 |
| Freezing Fog Advisory | 94 | 76 |
| Blowing Dust Advisory | 127 | 60 |
| Lakeshore Flood Advisory | 10 | 34 |
Source: Iowa Environmental Mesonet archive of National Weather Service watches, warnings and advisories (VTEC); National Weather Service. Data as of October 1, 2026.
Watch, warning or advisory?
A warning means act now; a watch means be ready; an advisory means take care. How the three differ, with the counts.