BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - After months of preparation, WCAX is proud to launch First Alert Weather.

First Alert is our promise to give you the earliest possible alert to hazardous, disruptive or changing weather conditions (good or bad), every day. We want to help you plan your week and stay safe when severe weather strikes. Protecting you and your family is our number one priority when forecasting the ever-changing weather of Vermont, New York’s North Country and New Hampshire’s Upper Valley.

From time to time we will designate a “First Alert Weather Day.” A First Alert Weather Day is our way to call attention to a day when the weather could pose a safety risk to you and your family. Our weather team will issue a First Alert Weather Day when any of the following weather hazards appear likely:

• High impact snow or ice
• Heavy rain that could lead to flooding
• Damaging wind, large hail or tornadoes
• Dangerous heat or extreme cold
• Damaging frost or freeze during the growing season
• Widespread dense fog
• Unhealthy or hazardous air quality

Our goal is to give you time to plan ahead and ensure you are adequately prepared for all of the ways that the weather could impact your day.

When we declare a First Alert Weather Day:

• You’ll see a First Alert Weather Day story onWCAX.com, which will also be sent as an alert on theWCAX News App andFirst Alert Weather App.
• Our weathercasts will open with an announcement telling you that a First Alert Weather Day has been declared, and you will see additional First Alert Weather Day graphics throughout our newscasts and weather segments.
• You’ll notice visual changes to our news and weather graphics on a First Alert Weather Day. Some elements will change from blue to red to help call attention to them.
• We’ll provide updates on our mobile apps and social media platforms whenever there are changes to the forecast.

Connect with us on our digital platforms so you never miss an update:

• Download the freeChannel 3 News AppandFirst Alert Weather App so you can be the first to know when weather alerts are issued and monitor conditions on-the-go.
• Follow WCAX and all of our meteorologists onFacebook,InstagramandX. We also have a WCAX Weather Team page onFacebook andX dedicated exclusively to providing weather updates for our region.
• Bookmark ourFirst Alert Weather web page on your web browser to see the latest weather story and interactive radar.

Plan ahead to make sure you have multiple ways to receive weather alerts when severe weather strikes:

• Register for VT-ALERT to configure custom notifications for a wide variety of alerts including weather warnings, road closures, boil water advisories, evacuation information and more.
• Invest in a weather radio. Always keep the batteries fresh so you can get weather alerts even if you lose power.

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