Best emergency radios for power outages

When the power is out, the internet is down and cell networks are congested, a battery-backed weather radio may be the only way you hear storm warnings and official updates. Ready.gov lists a battery-powered or hand-crank radio and a NOAA weather radio in its basic emergency kit. This guide explains what matters and compares five currently sold models.

Our picks at a glance

The picks

No. 1Emergency radio

Midland ER310 Emergency Crank Weather Radio

Best for: A household weather radio with several ways to stay powered

• Power: solar, hand crank, 3,500 mAh rechargeable Li-ion, or 6 AA batteries
• NOAA weather band; alerts sound when issued on your local channel
• LED flashlight with SOS beacon
• USB output to top up a phone

Tradeoffs

• · Midland notes the design dates to the early 2000s and may not charge newer phones (iPhone X and later) reliably. Weather alerts are not SAME county-coded.
• · Midland's FAQ notes solar tops up a charged battery rather than reviving a dead one
• · Micro-USB charging rather than USB-C

Check price on AmazonRead the full reviewSpecs: manufacturer page, checked Nov 1, 2026

No. 2Emergency radio

Midland ER310PRO Emergency Crank Radio with Power Bank

Best for: Keeping phones charged as well as hearing weather alerts

• Power: USB-C, solar or hand crank; 10,000 mAh lithium-ion battery
• 200+ hours of radio play (manufacturer figure); USB-C full charge in 6 to 8 hours
• NOAA weather alerts (not SAME), AM/FM, Bluetooth streaming, clock and temperature display
• USB-A phone output (5 V, 2.1 A): a full charge powers most smartphones 2 to 3 times (Midland FAQ)
• Cree LED flashlight with SOS strobe; ultrasonic dog whistle

Tradeoffs

• · No AA battery backup, unlike the ER310; no water-resistance rating stated.
• · Midland's FAQ says solar extends a charge but will not revive a flat battery

Check price on AmazonRead the full reviewSpecs: manufacturer page, checked Nov 1, 2026

No. 3Emergency radio

Midland ER210 Emergency Crank Weather Radio

Best for: A smaller, lighter radio for a go-bag or car kit

• Power: solar, hand crank or rechargeable Li-ion (2,600 mAh and up to 25 hours in Midland's spec list; 2,000 mAh in its description)
• NOAA Weather Alert Scan; digital AM/FM
• Cree LED flashlight (130 lumens per description, 1,400 lux per spec list), low/high and SOS beacon
• USB output to charge a phone; micro-USB charging; 6.5 x 2.8 x 1.9 in

Tradeoffs

• · Midland's FAQ says it sounds an 8-second siren for every local alert, including weekly tests, and will not reliably charge newer phones. No water-resistance rating stated.
• · About half the rated battery life of the ER310
• · No AA backup listed

Check price on AmazonRead the full reviewSpecs: manufacturer page, checked Nov 1, 2026

No. 4Emergency radio

Eton American Red Cross FRX2 (ARCFRX2WXW)

Best for: A simple, compact backup radio

• Power: hand turbine, solar, or mini-USB; 1,000 mAh internal Li-ion battery
• 1 minute of cranking gives 15 to 20 minutes of radio (manufacturer)
• AM/FM plus all 7 NOAA weather channels; digital display
• 3-LED flashlight, glow-in-the-dark locator, USB phone port, headphone jack; 0.56 lb

Tradeoff

• · Small battery and no automatic weather-alert mode listed, so you have to tune in yourself.

Check price on AmazonRead the full reviewSpecs: manufacturer page, checked Nov 1, 2026

No. 5Emergency radio

Kaito KA600 Voyager Pro Emergency Radio

Best for: Maximum power flexibility, plus shortwave

• Power: hand crank, flip-up solar panel, built-in rechargeable Ni-MH battery, 3 AA batteries, AC/DC adapter or a computer
• 7 pre-programmed NOAA weather channels with an Alert mode that switches the radio on for NOAA alerts
• AM / FM / longwave / shortwave bands
• Solar panel can run the radio even with no battery installed (manufacturer description)

Tradeoffs

• · Larger than a pocket radio, and the AA batteries are not included.
• · AC adapter sold separately or in a bundle

Check price on AmazonRead the full reviewSpecs: manufacturer page, checked Nov 1, 2026

What to look for in an emergency radio

NOAA weather band and alerts

NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts National Weather Service forecasts and warnings 24/7 on seven VHF channels. Every pick here receives those channels. The bigger difference is alerting: some radios can sit silently and sound an alarm when an alert is broadcast on your channel, which matters most at night. Radios with SAME (Specific Area Message Encoding) can be set to your county so you only hear alerts that apply to you. None of the hand-crank picks in this guide list SAME on the maker's page, so expect to hear alerts for your whole broadcast area.

Power sources

Redundancy is the point. The best emergency radios offer at least three ways to stay powered: an internal rechargeable battery, solar and a hand crank. A radio that also takes standard AA batteries (like the ER310 and KA600) is valuable in long outages, because a stockpile of AAs is easier than cranking. Solar panels on small radios are slow; treat them as a trickle, not a fast charger.

Phone charging

Most crank radios have a USB port to top up a phone. Battery size determines how much they can give. A 1,000 mAh internal battery offers only a small emergency top-up, while the ER310PRO's 10,000 mAh bank is in power-bank territory. If phone charging is a priority, a dedicated power bank or a portable power station is more practical. Midland notes the original ER310 may not charge newer phones reliably.

Light

A built-in flashlight is handy, and an SOS beacon is useful for signaling. Neither replaces a proper lantern for lighting a room; see the lantern pick on our homepage or the blackout checklist.

Size and durability

A larger radio usually means a bigger battery and speaker. For a go-bag or car, smaller wins. None of the makers in this guide state an IP water-resistance rating for these models, so keep them in a dry bag when evacuating.

How to set up your radio before an outage

1. 01Charge the internal battery fully and, if it takes AAs, store a fresh set with it (not inside, to avoid leakage).
2. 02Find your local NOAA Weather Radio channel and confirm you can receive it indoors.
3. 03If your radio has an alert mode, turn it on and learn what the alert sounds like.
4. 04Practice cranking for a minute so you know how much it gives you.
5. 05Store it with your outage kit, and recharge it every few months.

Common mistakes

• Storing it dead. Internal batteries slowly discharge. Put a recharge reminder on your calendar every few months.
• Relying on the crank. Cranking works, but it is slow, tiring work. Keep the internal battery topped up and AA spares on hand where the radio takes them.
• Never tuning it in. Find your NOAA channel on a calm day so you are not searching during a storm.
• Leaving AAs inside for years. Alkaline batteries can leak and damage contacts. Store spares beside the radio instead.
• Buying for phone charging alone. A crank radio is an information tool first. For keeping phones running for days, a power bank or power station does the job far better.

Where a radio fits in your outage kit

A radio covers information. Pair it with light (lanterns), water, food, a first-aid kit, a battery-powered CO alarm and backup power for essentials. The 72-hour blackout checklist lists everything. For backup power sizing, try the backup power calculator; for a full survival kit, see the Blackout Kit.