Overview
Send a latitude and longitude for the alerts covering one place, or a two-letter state code for everything in effect across the state. Every plan gets the event, severity, urgency, area, timing and safety instructions. Paid plans add the full forecaster description and the warning polygon as GeoJSON, ready to draw on a map.
Live Test Live Weather Alerts Source →
Formula
One function covers the whole catalog: the first argument names the source, the rest are its inputs, and the "field" pair says which single value lands in the cell. Formulas covers the grammar that applies to all of them.
=VERVE("weatheralerts", "field", "count")=VERVE.CALL("weatheralerts", "field", "count")Inputs
Required inputs are positional, in the order below. Everything else is passed as a "name", value pair after them — the same shape as SUMIFS. Premium inputs are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.
| Input | Type | Where it goes | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
latOptional | number | "lat", value | Latitude of the location to check. Send with lon range -90–90 |
lonOptional | number | "lon", value | Longitude of the location to check. Send with lat range -180–180 |
stateOptional | string | "state", value | Two-letter US state or territory code (e.g., MO) for every alert in effect across it. Used when lat and lon are not sent |
Passing an option
=VERVE("weatheralerts", "lat", 38.627)=VERVE.CALL("weatheralerts", "lat", 38.627)What lands in your sheet
The "field" pair is what makes the formula resolve to one cell. Its value is a dot-path from the table below, so swapping it is how you pull a different value — one formula per column.
Seeing everything at once
Drop the "field" pair and the formula returns the whole response instead: two columns, field name on the left and value on the right, spilling from the cell you typed in.
=VERVE("weatheralerts")=VERVE.CALL("weatheralerts")The second row's table would land on top of the first's, and every cell after the first reads #REF! (#SPILL! in Excel). Keep one per sheet, or name a field, and leave the cells below and to the right empty.
Response fields
Paths are relative to data. Each one is exactly what the "field" pair accepts, so swapping it is how you pull a different value into a cell. On a plan without a Premium field the cell reads #PREMIUM(field) rather than a value, so a locked field never looks like a real answer.
| Use as "field" | Type | Example cell value | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
location | object | {…} | The location that was checked: lat and lon, or state |
location.state | string | TX | |
count | number | 2 | Number of alerts in effect |
highestSeverity | string | Severe | Severity of the most serious alert (Extreme, Severe, Moderate, Minor or Unknown), or null when there are none |
alerts | array[2] | Alerts in effect, most severe and most urgent first | |
alerts.0.id | string | urn:oid:2.49.0.1.840.0.f9aca49ebcd46d4148ecadc4f42f00d6fee04ca6.001.1 | National Weather Service identifier for the alert |
alerts.0.event | string | Flood Warning | Kind of alert (e.g., Tornado Warning, Flood Watch, Wind Advisory) |
alerts.0.headline | string | Flood Warning issued October 2 at 1:51PM CDT until October 3 at 2:51AM CDT by NWS Fort Worth TX | One-line description of the alert with its issue and end times |
alerts.0.summary | string | FLOOD WARNING NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL LATE TONIGHT | The forecaster's short headline for the alert, or null when none was given |
alerts.0.severity | string | Severe | Extreme, Severe, Moderate, Minor or Unknown |
alerts.0.urgency | string | Immediate | Immediate, Expected, Future, Past or Unknown |
alerts.0.certainty | string | Observed | Observed, Likely, Possible, Unlikely or Unknown |
alerts.0.response | string | Avoid | Recommended action type (e.g., Shelter, Evacuate, Prepare, Avoid, Monitor) |
alerts.0.messageType | string | Update | Alert for a new alert, Update for a revised one |
alerts.0.area | string | Dallas, TX | Counties or zones the alert covers |
alerts.0.issuedBy | string | NWS Fort Worth TX | National Weather Service office that issued the alert |
alerts.0.sent | string | 2026-10-02T13:51:00-05:00 | When the alert was sent, as an ISO 8601 timestamp |
alerts.0.onset | string | 2026-10-02T13:51:00-05:00 | When the hazard is expected to begin, as an ISO 8601 timestamp |
alerts.0.expires | string | 2026-10-03T03:00:00-05:00 | When this message expires, as an ISO 8601 timestamp |
alerts.0.ends | string | 2026-10-03T02:51:00-05:00 | When the hazard is expected to end, as an ISO 8601 timestamp, or null |
alerts.0.descriptionPremium | string | ...The Flood Warning continues for the following rivers in Texas...
Trinity River At Dallas affecting Dallas County.
* WHAT...Minor flooding is occurring and minor flooding is forecast.
* WHERE...Trinity River at Dallas.
* WHEN...Until late tonight.
* IMPACTS...At 30.0 feet, Minor lowland flooding will begin, and
trails along the river begin to flood.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...
- At 1:30 PM CDT Friday the stage was 30.9 feet.
- Forecast...The river is expected to fall below flood stage this
afternoon and continue falling to 12.7 feet early Wednesday
afternoon.
- Bankfull stage is 30.0 feet.
- Flood stage is 30.0 feet. | The forecaster's full description of the hazard, where and when |
alerts.0.instruction | string | Do not drive cars through flooded areas. Caution is urged when
walking near riverbanks.
Additional information is available at water.noaa.gov/wfo/fwd. | What to do, in the forecaster's words, or null |
alerts.0.geometryPremium | object | {…} | GeoJSON polygon of a storm-based warning, or null for alerts that cover whole zones |
alerts.0.geometry.typePremium | string | Polygon | |
alerts.0.geometry.coordinatesPremium | array | list of lists |
When a cell doesn't fill
A failed lookup returns readable text starting with #ERR rather than a spreadsheet error, because Excel cannot show a custom message on a real error — you would get a bare #VALUE! with no reason. The trade-off is that IFERROR() will not catch it; test with LEFT(cell, 4) = "#ERR" instead. Error handling covers the rest.
| Cell reads | What happened |
|---|---|
#ERR Not connected | No API key saved. Open the side panel and connect your account. |
#ERR Replace <name> with a cell or value | A preview formula was copied as-is. Swap the placeholder for a cell reference. |
#ERR No "x" in weatheralerts | An option name this source does not take. The message lists the ones it does. |
#ERR No data point "…" | The "field" path is not in the response. Check it against the table above. |
#PREMIUM(field) | The field exists but your plan does not include it. |
#ERR Out of credits | The cycle's credits are spent. Usage resets on your billing date. |
Before the formula works
The add-in reads the API key you saved once in the side panel — the key never goes in the formula, so a shared sheet does not leak it and a collaborator without access simply sees the last calculated values.
- Install the add-in for Google Sheets or Excel.
- Open the side panel and sign in, or paste a key from your dashboard.
- Type the formula above into any cell.
Use cases
- Field Crew Safety
- Dispatch and workforce apps check each job site for active tornado, lightning and flood warnings before sending crews out, and pull workers back when a warning is issued for their location.
- Event and Venue Operations
- Outdoor venues and event organizers watch for severe thunderstorm and high wind warnings at their exact location to trigger shelter plans and delays early.
- Logistics and Fleet Routing
- Fleet software checks warnings along delivery stops and depots to reroute around winter storms, flooding and dust storms before drivers reach them.
- Property and Home Monitoring
- Smart home and property management apps notify owners when a freeze, flood or hurricane warning covers a home so they can act before damage happens.
- Weather Apps and Widgets
- Weather apps draw storm-based warning polygons on their maps and show the most severe alert first, with the forecaster's own instructions.
Other ways to use Live Weather Alerts
Set up Live Weather Alerts on VerveSheets, or reach the same source a different way. Your VerveSheets account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.
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