'Get ready to not freak out. On Wednesday, October 4 at 2:20 p.m. ET, every TV, radio and cellphone in the United States should blare out the distinctive, jarring electronic warning tone of an emergency alert.

It's a test – only a test.

Officially, the trial is called the Nationwide Emergency Alert Test. You know it's a test and not an actual emergency because it's accompanied by an explanation of the test.

No, it's not a national conspiracy to infect people with nanoparticles. Yes, it does go back all the way to the Cold War in the 1950s. No, we can't play you the tone – we could get hit with a big fine if we did.

But mostly the test is an important way to make sure that if something really bad – and really big – happens, Americans can be warned quickly.

The alert will air at the same moment across every time zone in the country starting at 2:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 4. The time will vary across time zones, so look to see when you might be alerted.

2:20 p.m. ET
1:20 p.m. CT
12:20 p.m. MT
11:20 a.m. PDT
10:20 a.m. ADT
8:20 a.m. HST

The test is scheduled to last approximately one minute. It will only go out once, there will be no repeats.

www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/10/01/emergency-alert-test-what-to-know/70981620007

Master, again and still