Weather radios are a good thing, however, I have a Uniden BC340CRS scanner that has AM, FM, weather, as well a being a scanner for police bands and others. The most significant band is the HAM radio.
I listen to 145.490. Whenever there is a storm, the HAM guys get together and give reports from around the area. It is a lot better than your traditional weather radio.
They are not expensive. You can read about it here.
http://www.scannermaster.com/Uniden_Bea ... 501048.htm
Also, here is a link to a great weather radar site. Click "RADAR" on the top toolbar. On the upper left of the screen there is a zoom function. You can zoom out and see the entire U.S. or zoom in close enough to see street names and buildings. It is similar to Google Earth in that respect. Also, you can click on your mouse and move the map around.
Here is the link.
http://www.wunderground.com/auto/wxmap/ ... field.html
One more thing is that if you listen to the NPR radio station (91.1) where I am, they give frequent weather warnings that are pretty comprehensive.