With iNWS decommissioned as of October 22, 2026, emergency managers, county agencies and media partners lost the website that managed their NWS text and email alerts. The National Weather Service took the site down effective immediately, citing identified cybersecurity vulnerabilities, in Service Change Notice 26-92.
Alerts have not stopped. But the service that remains is frozen, and several features partners relied on are gone. iAlert is an iNWS alternative you can set up today, with NWS alerts by text, email and voice.
iNWS decommissioned: what changed for users
Here is what NWS says the change means for people who used iNWS:
- Existing iNWS subscribers will continue to receive alerts.
- iNWS emails no longer include a map.
- The link in iNWS text messages no longer works.
- No new users can register.
- Existing subscriptions cannot be changed: no new staff, no new phone numbers, no new alert areas.
- The iNWS storm report page is also offline. NWS directs reports to the local forecast office at weather.gov.
NWS says it is developing a replacement and will incorporate partner feedback. No date has been announced.
Why it matters now
Emergency management offices change constantly. A new deputy coordinator, an EOC phone that gets replaced, a jurisdiction that needs a second alert area: with iNWS decommissioned, none of those changes can be made.
An iNWS alternative: how iAlert fills the gap
With iNWS decommissioned, iAlert.com can cover the core of what its users depended on. iAlert is an independent service that has delivered NWS alerts to subscribers since 2010.
- Text, email and voice delivery. NWS warnings, watches and advisories by text and email, with automated voice calls for new severe weather alerts on premium plans.
- Matched to the exact NWS warning area. iAlert matches each alert to the area NWS issued it for. Tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood
- Text, email and voice delivery. NWS warnings, watches and advisories by text and email, with automated voice calls for new severe weather alerts on premium plans.
- Matched to the exact NWS warning area. iAlert matches each alert to the area NWS issued it for. Tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings use the storm-based polygon, so only locations inside the warning are alerted. Zone and county products like winter storm warnings and red flag warnings match the NWS forecast zone, fire weather zone or county.
- More than 90 NWS alert types. Tornado, severe thunderstorm, flash flood, winter storm, ice, hurricane and storm surge, extreme heat, red flag, dense fog, air quality and more. Choose each one by text, email or voice.
- Links that work. Every text and email links to the full NWS alert text on iAlert.com.
- Online account dashboard. Manage each person’s profile, alert types and delivery method (email, text or voice) from one online account.
- Team accounts. Group Account Manager lets one coordinator set up and manage alerts for an entire office, with each person’s own location and delivery preference.
- Multiple locations. Premium accounts cover several locations per service, for the EOC, a fairground, a school campus or a coastal town.
- Control over noise. Quiet hours, and a new-alerts-only option that skips routine update messages.
- Sign up today. No registration approval queue. Free email alerts for one location; text and voice on premium plans.
iAlert also offers capabilities iNWS did not, including lightning alerts with STOP WORK and ALL CLEAR notices for outdoor operations, and real-time storm report alerts for your county or state. See all iAlert services.
Offer NWS alerts under your own name
Some iNWS users passed alerts on to others: a county notifying residents, a utility or contractor alerting its crews, a broadcaster serving its viewers. iAlert’s branded weather alert service delivers the same NWS alerts under your organization’s name.
- Your brand on every alert. Your logo and company name, so alerts come from you, not from iAlert.
- Direct signup page. Your customers enroll themselves on your own signup page, verify their email or phone, and choose from the alerts you offer.
- Dedicated toll-free number. Texts and voice calls come from your own number, with call forwarding to your office for customer support.
- Text, email and voice. Offer the delivery methods that fit your program.
- Customer dashboard. Manage each customer’s profile and alert settings from one account.
Ask about branded alerts to see how it fits your program.
iNWS decommissioned: next steps for your office
Individual responders can sign up in a few minutes. Offices that need alerts for a team should start with Group Account Manager.
If your organization was an iNWS user and wants help moving its alert areas and contacts, contact us and we will work through it with you directly.
Source: NWS Service Change Notice 26-92 (PDF), issued 2:40 PM EDT, October 22, 2026. All NWS service change notices: weather.gov/notification.
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