Early Warning Network
When will Council move away from the EWN?
The Council-funded Early Warning Network (EWN) notification service will cease on Friday, 31 July 2026.
Why is Council no longer partnering with the EWN?
Council is moving to strengthen early warning notification options for the community when severe weather events develop. While the Emergency Warning Network (EWN) has provided a valuable service to more than 4000 Lockyer Valley subscribers since 2011, fully funded by Council, the current BOM Weather app, provided by the Bureau of Meteorology, offers a broader service at no cost to Council or the community.
What alternatives are there to EWN?
The BOM Weather app is Australia’s official weather app. Council encourages subscribers to download the BOM Weather app onto their mobile phone or tablet and, importantly, subscribe to the notification service.
The Bureau introduced its first weather app in late 2016 and has continued to expand and improve its features. Council considers the BOM weather app to be an easy‑to‑use, effective, and direct way for the community to receive official weather warning notifications.
By 31 July 2026, all EWN subscribers should have downloaded the BOM Weather app and subscribed to the notification service to ensure seamless access to important weather notifications.
How can I download the BOM Weather app?
How do I set up notifications?
After downloading the BOM Weather app (see instructions above), simply click on the menu in the top right-hand corner, click ‘Notifications’ and select up to three locations you wish to receive warnings for.
What does the BOM Weather app feature?
The BOM Weather app gives users the option to select up to three different locations to receive weather alerts (notifications), providing better coverage, including the ability to see what weather might be heading towards family in other areas.
The app includes notifications for coastal hazards, fire weather, flood warnings and watches, heatwave, marine wind, severe thunderstorm, severe weather, tropical cyclone, and tsunami. To see more features, visit www.bom.gov.au/bom-weather-app
Is there a cost to download and use the BOM Weather app?
The BOM Weather app is free. There is no cost to download or use the app.
What if I am unable to access the BOM Weather app?
Residents unable to access the BOM Weather app directly due to limited digital literacy, lack of smartphone access, or previous reliance on landline and email notifications, will still have access to critical information via the radio and official websites including Council’s Disaster Dashboard.
Council encourages family members to download the BOM Weather app to ensure they include the location of any family members who may not have the app, so they can call and advise them of severe weather alerts.
I also receive dam notifications through EWN, will these be affected?
No. If you have subscribed to SEQWater Infrastructure alert notifications through EWN, this service will not be affected. You will still receive these dam notifications as normal, regardless of changes to other EWN alert types. This notification service is offered by SEQWater.
Can’t Council move my details over to the BOM App?
No. Due to privacy and data protection requirements, Council is not permitted to transfer EWN subscriber details to another service, including the BOM Weather app.
Residents are encouraged to download the app and register directly with the Bureau of Meteorology. This process is straightforward and typically takes less than five minutes to set up alerts on your phone.
Do I need to unsubscribe from EWN?
No action is required from you. You will be automatically unsubscribed from EWN location based severe weather and bushfire alerts after 31 July, 2026.
If you wish to continue receiving severe weather and bushfire notifications through EWN after this date, you can log in to your account at My EWN - Login and upgrade your subscription to ‘EWN Premium’. This is a paid service, with costs outlined on the upgrade page of the EWN website.
For questions about upgrading your EWN subscription, please contact EWN directly at support@ewn.com.au.
If you have subscribed to SEQWater Infrastructure Alerts, these will continue to be sent without interruption.
What happens to my personal information?
Immediately after 31 July 2026, EWN will delete all personal information relating to Lockyer Valley Regional Council residents who do not have an EWN Premium or SEQWater Infrastructure Alert subscription. To ensure personal information security, EWN will provide Council with a certificate of destruction confirming all personal details have been permanently and securely destroyed.
