Coastal warning display tower

Through a system of flags, the towers can indicate not only wind-related warnings, but also major aspects of the local daily weather forecast.

One such flag warns of storm-force winds or an approaching tropical storm.

Other flags can be used to indicate the direction of winds during a tropical storm or storm warning, to indicate the temperature change relative to the previous day, to warn of an approaching cold front, and to show the forecast coverage of precipitation (widespread fair weather, scattered precipitation, or widespread precipitation), although this practice largely became obsolete after about 1925 as radio began to take over the role of disseminating weather forecasts.

However, the system of using flags to indicate warnings related to strong winds in coastal areas remains in use by the U.S. Coast Guard, using ordinary flagpoles in lieu of the larger, more expensive, and more complex towers.

At least one complete CWD tower, with all of its original equipment, remains in full operation in the city of Manteo, North Carolina.