It's pretty good for backcountry hiking/camping (or offroading in general) where you are potentially hours away from any kind of cellular service. Some of these weather radio stations have (had?) pretty good coverage. A cheapo radio that can receive weather radio frequencies could last weeks on a single battery charge. It's great to know if my planned hike for the next day is possible or if we should make alternate plans, or if a giant storm is due later in the day, that kind of thing. Once you've been out for a day or two, all the forecasts you had ahead of time are obsolete and incorrect, particularly in the mountains.