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How emergency alerts have spreading flames fabhelped to save lives in extreme weatherImage source, ReutersByBen RichLead Weather PresenterPublished6 September 2025On 23 January 2025 the Met Office issued a red warning for Storm Eowyn across Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland. Wind gusts of up to 100mph (161km/h) were forecast in some coastal areas and people were warned to expect damage to buildings and significant disruption to travel.Millions across these areas received an emergency phone alert asking them to stay at home ahead of schools and transport networks closing down.On Sunday mobile phones across the UK will receive a test warning as the government trials its emergency alerts system for the second time.What will happen during the test and can you opt out?Image source, Reuters/Henry NichollsImage caption, What the test of the Emergency Alert system will look like on your phoneWhen are emergency alerts used?Four of the five 'real-life' alerts that have been issued by the government so far have been due to severe weather.The alert sent in response to Storm Eowyn reached 4.5 million people in both Scotland and Northern Ireland. It ended up being the most powerful windstorm in the UK for over a decade with fifteen weather stations setting new January gust records.In December 2024, around 3.5 million people in Wales and south-west England were warned about Storm Darragh - when another Met Office red weather warning was issued. Gusts peaked at 96mph (155km/h) at Berry Head, Devon, with some inland locations also breaking their gust records for December.Red warnings are the most serious the Met Office can issue, meaning life-threatening weather is expected and people should take action to keep themselves and others safe.Image source, Jon Rowley/EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockImage caption, Storm Darragh caused widespread disruption and killed two peopleThe system has also been used for more localised weather events.People in parts of Cumbria received an alert because of flooding in May 2024 and residents in Leicestershire were warned of a major incident due to heavy rain in January 2025.But the emergency alert system is not only used for severe weather. An alert was issued to disseminate information when thousands of people in Plymouth were evacuated from their homes after an unexploded World War Two bomb was found in a garden in February 2024.What to expect during the emergency alert testDuring the test, which will take place at 15:00 BST, all phones connected to 4G or 5G networks will vibrate and sound a siren for ten seconds. A message will appear on the screen making it clear that it is a test.While the vast majority of people will receive alerts, the system is not entirely failsafe - messages will not reach older devices or those only connected to wi-fi.Image caption, Older phones that only use 2G or 3G technology will not receive Emergency AlertsPhones that are switched off, or on airplane mode, will also miss the warnings. But the government is clear that the system is an important tool, alongside more traditional methods of communication.A Cabinet Office spokesperson says: "By issuing the alerts to devices connected to 4G and 5G networks, we expect the message to reach the vast majority of people during an actual crisis.""These alerts are just one of the many tools we have to spread information quickly in emergencies - such as television, radio, and online news, as well as emergency services going house to house knocking on doors."Forecasters at the Met Office agree that the system is invaluable when used alongside the most urgent weather warnings.Chief Meteorologist Will Lang told BBC Weather: "The government's Emergency Alert system can be used to supplement a red severe weather warning."It provides another layer of communication to reach people in imminent danger from any kind of hazard direct to their mobile phones when immediate action is needed to protect people's lives."Early warnings for allThe UK is not alone in using mobile phone networks to warn people about emergency situations.France, Germany, Japan and the USA are among other nations with similar systems.As human-induced climate change leads to more extreme and dangerous weather events, the United Nations and World Meteorological Organization are leading an initiative called Early Warnings for All, external.It aims to ensure that everyone in the world is protected from hazardous weather and climate events by 2027 - including in less-developed areas more vulnerable to weather disasters.Figures from 2024, external show that only 55% of nations around the world have any form of early warning system.However that number has been increasing over the last decade with the number of countries providing early warnings having doubled since 2015.More on this storyWhen is the emergency alert test on mobile phones and can you opt out? Published7 September7% of compatible devices didn't get emergency alertPublished25 April 2023Met Office releases new storm names for 2025-26Published1 September
