EmergencyRadio.org

WXN91: NOAA Weather Radio for Lake Rathbun, Iowa

WXN91 is the NOAA Weather Radio transmitter at Lake Rathbun, broadcasting on 162.425 MHz at 301 watts. It carries the National Weather Service Des Moines office's broadcast and covers 7 counties, each listed below with the SAME code an alert radio needs to wake for that county and stay quiet for the rest.

CallsignWXN91
Frequency162.425 MHz
TransmitterLake Rathbun, Iowa
Power301 watts
Forecast officeNWS Des Moines
StatusNormal (NWS data, July 2026)

Marine radios often label 162.425 MHz as WX4, but WX channel numbers vary by brand - go by the frequency.

Counties WXN91 covers

CountyStateSAME code
AppanooseIowa019007
DavisIowa019051
LucasIowa019117
MonroeIowa019135
WapelloIowa019179
WayneIowa019185
PutnamMissouri029171

Program the six-digit code into your radio's SAME location list - the SAME code guide walks through it, and how alert radios work explains what the radio does with it.

Hearing WXN91

Any receiver that tunes 162.425 MHz FM can listen: scanners, VHF ham radios, marine sets, or a software-defined receiver. What those do not do is wake you at 3 a.m. - for that you want a dedicated radio with SAME alerting, covered in the buyer's guide.

Every Iowa transmitter, county and SAME code: NOAA Weather Radio in Iowa. Or look any county up with the finder.

Sources: