Visual topic library
HazardNow Learn
Short explainers for public hazard, infrastructure, market, public-health, emergency-alert, civil-stability, and global-stability signals. Pick a situation, scan the key terms, then verify current conditions with official or primary sources.
Best place to start
Five useful first reads
Weather alertsDecode weather watches, warnings, advisories, and statements before you check the live alert map.Read explainer →Power grid cardRead the HazardNow power grid card, grid stress label, outage context, source cadence, and official-source caveats in plain English.Read explainer →Air Quality IndexAir Quality Index (AQI) explained with category meaning, smoke context, and how to verify local air-quality conditions.Read explainer →Financial marketsUnderstand HazardNow's Financial Markets card, ticker context, source age, partial states, and how it differs from Economic Stress.Read explainer →Civil stabilityLearn what HazardNow's Civil Stability card summarizes, how hotspots and confidence work, and why users must verify with local official sources.Read explainer →
Preparedness & Public Safety Workflows
Household preparednessWeather and alerts · Wildfire/smoke/AQI · Infrastructure outages · Travel and supply chain · Public health and biological signals.Public safety / response teamsWatch-desk routines, verification checklists, CERT support checklists, and briefing templates.
Household preparedness links
Public safety / response links
Browse by situation
Bad weather comingStart with watches, warnings, and storm-specific alert language.Smoke in the areaCheck AQI, PM2.5, smoke, and fire-weather context together.Power problemsRead the dashboard power card beside outage maps and grid stress terms.Travel disruptionReview aviation delay, ground stop, weather, and infrastructure signals.Fuel or supply concernLook at fuel supply, refinery utilization, freight, weather, and alerts.Official emergency alertUnderstand IPAWS and official alert text before taking action.Respiratory illness contextRead the Biological dashboard card, source confidence, and public-health surveillance caveats.Market or stability contextSeparate Financial Markets, Economic Stress, Global Stability, and Civil Stability before acting.Civil disruption reportsTreat public civil-stability hotspots as prompts to verify locally, not as official orders.
Topic family
Weather Alerts
Understand watches, warnings, and storm language before you open official alert text.
4 explainers
Weather alertsDecode weather watches, warnings, advisories, and statements before you check the live alert map.Read explainer →Severe thunderstorm warningKnow what a severe thunderstorm warning can mean for wind, hail, lightning, outages, and travel.Read explainer →Tornado watch vs warningLearn the difference between a tornado watch and tornado warning and how to interpret them safely with official sources.Read explainer →Red flag warningRed flag warning meaning in plain English, what fire-weather risk it signals, and what to check on HazardNow right now.Read explainer →
Topic family
Wildfire, Smoke & Air Quality
Connect fire weather, smoke, AQI, and PM2.5 without treating any one map as complete.
5 explainers
Wildfire smokeUnderstand why wildfire smoke can travel far and how AQI, wind, and fire detections fit together.Read explainer →Air Quality IndexAir Quality Index (AQI) explained with category meaning, smoke context, and how to verify local air-quality conditions.Read explainer →PM2.5Understand PM2.5, wildfire smoke, air quality risk, and how to check current smoke, AQI, and weather conditions.Read explainer →Fire weatherLearn how wind, humidity, temperature, dry fuels, and drought combine to create fire-weather concern.Read explainer →Wildfire cardUnderstand the HazardNow wildfire hotspots card, satellite detection counts, recency labels, source family, and limits before verifying official fire information.Read explainer →
Topic family
Power Grid & Outages
Read outage maps, grid stress, and rolling blackout terms with source caveats in mind.
4 explainers
Grid stressRecognize operator notices, peak demand, reserves, outages, and weather conditions that can strain the grid.Read explainer →Power outage mapUnderstand what outage maps can and cannot tell you about electric service disruptions and restoration context.Read explainer →Rolling blackoutLearn what rolling blackouts are, why grid operators may use them, and what public signals to monitor.Read explainer →Power grid cardRead the HazardNow power grid card, grid stress label, outage context, source cadence, and official-source caveats in plain English.Read explainer →
Topic family
Emergency Alerts & Preparedness
Use official alert systems and simple preparedness routines without overreacting.
6 explainers
IPAWS alertsLearn how FEMA IPAWS supports public emergency alerts and how HazardNow treats alerts as official-source context.Read explainer →Emergency alertsUnderstand official emergency alerts, why they matter, and how to use HazardNow without replacing official instructions.Read explainer →Situational awarenessLearn what situational awareness means in plain language and how to scan public signals calmly.Read explainer →5-minute checkA calm, practical scan routine for weather, outages, smoke, travel, fuel, communications, and official alerts.Read explainer →Radiation cardDecode RadNet station readings, normal/elevated labels, station coverage, thresholds, and source limitations.Read explainer →Radiation cardUnderstand HazardNow's radiation card, elevated readings, station coverage, official and supplemental sources, freshness labels, and limits.Read explainer →
Topic family
Aviation & Transportation
Decode ground stops, airport delays, and travel disruption signals.
4 explainers
Ground stopLearn what an airport ground stop means, why it happens, and how to check live travel, weather, and disruption signals before adjusting plans.Read explainer →Airport delay programUnderstand FAA delay programs, arrival flow limits, and weather-driven airport slowdowns.Read explainer →Travel disruption monitoringCheck aviation, weather, road, outage, and alert signals before travel plans tighten.Read explainer →Aviation delaysUnderstand affected airports, delay severity, FAA/NAS source labels, GDPs, ground stops, and airport lists.Read explainer →
Topic family
Fuel, Energy & Supply Chain
Track fuel availability, refinery activity, freight strain, and distribution context.
4 explainers
Fuel supplyUnderstand reserves, refinery utilization, prices, inventories, source recency, and the compact Fuel Supply status label.Read explainer →Refinery utilizationUnderstand refinery utilization, why it affects gasoline and diesel supply, and what other fuel and infrastructure signals to check.Read explainer →Supply chain congestionRead freight, port, rail, and trucking pressure signals that may point to slower movement of goods.Read explainer →Supply chainUnderstand ports, freight, anchored containerships, imports/exports, rail/intermodal rows, source age, and status labels.Read explainer →
Topic family
Water Stress & Drought
Compare drought levels, streamflow, and water-stress signals over time.
4 explainers
U.S. Drought MonitorUse the U.S. Drought Monitor to compare long-running dry conditions across regions.Read explainer →Drought levelsUnderstand U.S. drought categories, why severe drought matters, and how to compare drought, streamflow, weather, and water-stress signals.Read explainer →StreamflowUse streamflow gauges to understand rivers and waterways alongside drought and rainfall context.Read explainer →Water stressDecode drought percentages, trend, streamflow context, U.S. Drought Monitor timing, USGS context, and limitations.Read explainer →
Topic family
Space Weather
Learn the space-weather terms that can matter for communications, GPS, aviation, and grid operators.
4 explainers
Geomagnetic stormUnderstand NOAA geomagnetic storm scales and possible effects on GPS, radio, satellites, and grid operators.Read explainer →Kp indexRead the Kp index as a global space-weather activity scale, not a local impact forecast.Read explainer →Radio blackoutLearn how solar flares can disrupt HF radio on the sunlit side of Earth.Read explainer →Space weather cardLearn what the HazardNow space weather card shows, including Kp, flare risk, source cadence, impact caveats, and SWPC verification.Read explainer →
Topic family
Internet, Cyber & Communications
Separate connectivity, telecom, and public cyber tempo from rumor or one-off reports.
4 explainers
Internet outageSeparate provider, cloud, regional, and last-mile internet problems during disruptions.Read explainer →Cyber threat tempoTrack public cyber advisories and incident tempo without treating them as personal risk scores.Read explainer →Telecom disruptionUnderstand cellular, 911, wireline, and provider disruptions during outages or emergencies.Read explainer →Internet/Cyber cardUnderstand the HazardNow Internet/Cyber card, connectivity and cyber-tempo metrics, source families, update caveats, and limits.Read explainer →
Topic family
Economic & Global Stability Signals
Put economic and global context beside infrastructure and hazard signals.
5 explainers
Economic stressPut inflation, rates, markets, and credit stress next to practical hazard and infrastructure context.Read explainer →Global stability signalsRead global public-signal summaries with attention to source citations, scope, and uncertainty.Read explainer →Global stabilityDashboard-focused guide to the Global Stability Index, drivers, risk-pressure subscores, confidence, citations, and AI-assisted synthesis limits.Read explainer →Financial marketsUnderstand HazardNow's Financial Markets card, ticker context, source age, partial states, and how it differs from Economic Stress.Read explainer →Civil stabilityLearn what HazardNow's Civil Stability card summarizes, how hotspots and confidence work, and why users must verify with local official sources.Read explainer →
Topic family
Biological & Public Health
Read public-health surveillance signals for wastewater, respiratory illness, and hospital admissions without treating them as medical advice.
5 explainers
Biological surveillanceLearn how HazardNow summarizes CDC wastewater, respiratory illness, and hospital reporting data for public-health situational awareness.Read explainer →Wastewater surveillanceLearn how HazardNow uses CDC wastewater viral activity data for COVID-19, Influenza A, and RSV situational awareness.Read explainer →Respiratory illness activityLearn how HazardNow interprets CDC acute respiratory illness activity for public-health situational awareness.Read explainer →Hospital admissionsLearn how HazardNow uses CDC/NHSN hospital respiratory data for COVID-19, flu, and RSV situational awareness.Read explainer →Biological cardUnderstand HazardNow's Biological card, CDC surveillance metrics, source confidence, cadence caveats, and public-health limitations.Read explainer →