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D​on't be alarmed by the emergency alert you received on your cell phone at around 2:20 p.m. eastern time today.

I​t was just FEMA and the FCC testing a key system designed to keep people safe in the face of dangerous weather or other threats.

H​ere's what to know.

W​hy the emergency alert was sent today:

-​The cell phone alarm was a test of the Wireless Emergency Alerts system, or WEA. Similar alerts were broadcast on television and radio at the same time.

-In addition to the audible alert, cell phone users received a text message that read, in part, “This is a test of the national Wireless Emergency Alert system ... No action is required by the public.”

-The alarm sound lasted for about one minute, but users could silence it.

-​The test was set be delayed if there happened to be widespread weather or other real-life events that would supersede it.

Weather.com digital meteorologist Jonathan Belles adds:

-Tests like this one are necessary to ensure that weather alerts reach you.

-These potentially life-saving alerts are triggered by tornado warnings and some severe and winter weather warnings.

-Your phone alerts should be used as a redundancy to ensure you get some sort of message by at least one medium. Mobile WEAs are a very useful backup to tornado sirens, broadcast messages on your television, weather radios and your Weather Channel app.

W​hat else to know about emergency alerts:

-WEAs are sent by authorized government authorities including the National Weather Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and local state and public safety agencies.

-Some alerts are only distributed to phones within a certain radius of the emergency. Examples of those include Amber Alerts and "imminent danger" warnings such as an active shooter. Wednesday's test is a national alert.

-Cell phone users don't have to enroll or download anything to get WEAs, but a phone does need to be enabled to receive them. Some older phones may not have WEA capability.

M​ore on weather.com:

-Tech Tools To Keep You Safe During Disaster

-Bring Your Disaster Kit into the 21st Century With Tech

-​Prepare For Weather Emergencies With These Seven Tips

(​Adam Watson contributed to this report.)

Weather.com reporter Jan Childs covers breaking news and features related to weather, space, climate change, the environment and everything in between.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.