diff --git a/ci-scripts/ci-runner.bash b/ci-scripts/ci-runner.bash
index 378b2a2d23..74685b1fa7 100644
--- a/ci-scripts/ci-runner.bash
+++ b/ci-scripts/ci-runner.bash
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ if [ $CI_GENERIC -eq 1 ]; then
     # Run unit tests for the public release
     echo "[INFO] Running unit tests with generic settings"
     checked_exec ./test_reframe.py --workers=auto --forked \
-                 -W=error::reframe.core.exceptions.ReframeDeprecationWarning -ra
+                 -W=error::reframe.core.warnings.ReframeDeprecationWarning -ra
     checked_exec ! ./bin/reframe.py --system=generic -l 2>&1 | \
         grep -- '--- Logging error ---'
 elif [ $CI_TUTORIAL -eq 1 ]; then
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ else
             echo "[INFO] Running unit tests with ${backend}"
             TMPDIR=$tempdir checked_exec ./test_reframe.py --workers=auto --forked \
                          --rfm-user-config=config/cscs-ci.py \
-                         -W=error::reframe.core.exceptions.ReframeDeprecationWarning \
+                         -W=error::reframe.core.warnings.ReframeDeprecationWarning \
                          --rfm-user-system=dom:${backend} -ra
         done
         export PATH=$PATH_save
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ else
         echo "[INFO] Running unit tests"
         TMPDIR=$tempdir checked_exec ./test_reframe.py --workers=auto --forked \
                      --rfm-user-config=config/cscs-ci.py \
-                     -W=error::reframe.core.exceptions.ReframeDeprecationWarning -ra
+                     -W=error::reframe.core.warnings.ReframeDeprecationWarning -ra
     fi
 
     if [ $CI_EXITCODE -eq 0 ]; then
diff --git a/reframe/core/config.py b/reframe/core/config.py
index 3991142457..80cc4a7b73 100644
--- a/reframe/core/config.py
+++ b/reframe/core/config.py
@@ -19,10 +19,9 @@
 import reframe.utility as util
 import reframe.utility.osext as osext
 import reframe.utility.typecheck as types
-from reframe.core.exceptions import (ConfigError,
-                                     ReframeDeprecationWarning,
-                                     ReframeFatalError)
+from reframe.core.exceptions import ConfigError, ReframeFatalError
 from reframe.core.logging import getlogger
+from reframe.core.warnings import ReframeDeprecationWarning
 from reframe.utility import ScopedDict
 
 
diff --git a/reframe/core/deferrable.py b/reframe/core/deferrable.py
index e3274bda64..dcc937fcad 100644
--- a/reframe/core/deferrable.py
+++ b/reframe/core/deferrable.py
@@ -6,8 +6,6 @@
 import builtins
 import functools
 
-from reframe.core.exceptions import user_deprecation_warning
-
 
 def deferrable(func):
     '''Function decorator for converting a function to a deferred
diff --git a/reframe/core/exceptions.py b/reframe/core/exceptions.py
index ba5485a30f..c20d801564 100644
--- a/reframe/core/exceptions.py
+++ b/reframe/core/exceptions.py
@@ -270,13 +270,6 @@ class DependencyError(ReframeError):
     '''Raised when a dependency problem is encountered.'''
 
 
-class ReframeDeprecationWarning(DeprecationWarning):
-    '''Warning raised for deprecated features of the framework.'''
-
-
-warnings.filterwarnings('default', category=ReframeDeprecationWarning)
-
-
 def user_frame(tb):
     if not inspect.istraceback(tb):
         raise ValueError('could not retrieve frame: argument not a traceback')
@@ -326,24 +319,3 @@ def format_user_frame(frame):
 
     exc_str = ''.join(traceback.format_exception(exc_type, exc_value, tb))
     return 'unexpected error: %s\n%s' % (exc_value, exc_str)
-
-
-def user_deprecation_warning(message):
-    '''Raise a deprecation warning at the user stack frame that eventually
-    calls this function.
-
-    As "user stack frame" is considered a stack frame that is outside the
-    :py:mod:`reframe` base module.
-    '''
-
-    # Unroll the stack and issue the warning from the first stack frame that is
-    # outside the framework.
-    stack_level = 1
-    for s in inspect.stack():
-        module = inspect.getmodule(s.frame)
-        if module is None or not module.__name__.startswith('reframe'):
-            break
-
-        stack_level += 1
-
-    warnings.warn(message, ReframeDeprecationWarning, stacklevel=stack_level)
diff --git a/reframe/core/fields.py b/reframe/core/fields.py
index 07e459ad2f..af53237de6 100644
--- a/reframe/core/fields.py
+++ b/reframe/core/fields.py
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
 import re
 
 import reframe.utility.typecheck as types
-from reframe.core.exceptions import user_deprecation_warning
+from reframe.core.warnings import user_deprecation_warning
 from reframe.utility import ScopedDict
 
 
diff --git a/reframe/core/meta.py b/reframe/core/meta.py
index 45a67045df..538b2393be 100644
--- a/reframe/core/meta.py
+++ b/reframe/core/meta.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 # Met-class for creating regression tests.
 #
 
-from reframe.core.exceptions import user_deprecation_warning
+from reframe.core.warnings import user_deprecation_warning
 
 
 class RegressionTestMeta(type):
diff --git a/reframe/core/pipeline.py b/reframe/core/pipeline.py
index 6ec215e368..0b6292646f 100644
--- a/reframe/core/pipeline.py
+++ b/reframe/core/pipeline.py
@@ -34,9 +34,10 @@
 from reframe.core.deferrable import _DeferredExpression
 from reframe.core.exceptions import (BuildError, DependencyError,
                                      PipelineError, SanityError,
-                                     PerformanceError, user_deprecation_warning)
+                                     PerformanceError)
 from reframe.core.meta import RegressionTestMeta
 from reframe.core.schedulers import Job
+from reframe.core.warnings import user_deprecation_warning
 
 
 # Dependency kinds
diff --git a/reframe/core/systems.py b/reframe/core/systems.py
index 21f33fe31f..17fa370eca 100644
--- a/reframe/core/systems.py
+++ b/reframe/core/systems.py
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ def launcher(self):
            Please use :attr:`launcher_type` instead.
         '''
 
-        from reframe.core.exceptions import user_deprecation_warning
+        from reframe.core.warnings import user_deprecation_warning
 
         user_deprecation_warning("the 'launcher' attribute is deprecated; "
                                  "please use 'launcher_type' instead")
diff --git a/reframe/core/warnings.py b/reframe/core/warnings.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4cd898e818
--- /dev/null
+++ b/reframe/core/warnings.py
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+import contextlib
+import inspect
+import warnings
+
+from reframe.core.exceptions import ReframeFatalError
+
+
+class ReframeDeprecationWarning(DeprecationWarning):
+    '''Warning raised for deprecated features of the framework.'''
+
+
+warnings.filterwarnings('default', category=ReframeDeprecationWarning)
+
+
+_format_warning_orig = warnings.formatwarning
+
+
+def _format_warning(message, category, filename, lineno, line=None):
+    import reframe.core.runtime as rt
+    import reframe.utility.color as color
+
+    if category != ReframeDeprecationWarning:
+        return _format_warning_orig(message, category, filename, lineno, line)
+
+    if line is None:
+        # Read in the line from the file
+        with open(filename) as fp:
+            try:
+                line = fp.readlines()[lineno-1]
+            except IndexError:
+                line = '<no line information>'
+
+    message = f'{filename}:{lineno}: WARNING: {message}\n{line}\n'
+
+    # Ignore coloring if runtime has not been initialized; this can happen
+    # when generating the documentation of deprecated APIs
+    with contextlib.suppress(ReframeFatalError):
+        if rt.runtime().get_option('general/0/colorize'):
+            message = color.colorize(message, color.YELLOW)
+
+    return message
+
+
+warnings.formatwarning = _format_warning
+
+
+def user_deprecation_warning(message):
+    '''Raise a deprecation warning at the user stack frame that eventually
+    calls this function.
+
+    As "user stack frame" is considered a stack frame that is outside the
+    :py:mod:`reframe` base module.
+    '''
+
+    # Unroll the stack and issue the warning from the first stack frame that is
+    # outside the framework.
+    stack_level = 1
+    for s in inspect.stack():
+        module = inspect.getmodule(s.frame)
+        if module is None or not module.__name__.startswith('reframe'):
+            break
+
+        stack_level += 1
+
+    warnings.warn(message, ReframeDeprecationWarning, stacklevel=stack_level)
diff --git a/reframe/frontend/cli.py b/reframe/frontend/cli.py
index 64a148667e..49907596c1 100644
--- a/reframe/frontend/cli.py
+++ b/reframe/frontend/cli.py
@@ -24,8 +24,9 @@
 import reframe.utility.osext as osext
 from reframe.core.exceptions import (
     EnvironError, ConfigError, ReframeError,
-    ReframeDeprecationWarning, ReframeFatalError, format_exception
+    ReframeFatalError, format_exception
 )
+from reframe.core.warnings import ReframeDeprecationWarning
 from reframe.frontend.executors import Runner, generate_testcases
 from reframe.frontend.executors.policies import (SerialExecutionPolicy,
                                                  AsynchronousExecutionPolicy)
diff --git a/unittests/resources/checks_unlisted/deprecated_test.py b/unittests/resources/checks_unlisted/deprecated_test.py
index 6a95963377..398bff51b1 100644
--- a/unittests/resources/checks_unlisted/deprecated_test.py
+++ b/unittests/resources/checks_unlisted/deprecated_test.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import reframe as rfm
 import reframe.utility.sanity as sn
-from reframe.core.exceptions import user_deprecation_warning
+
+from reframe.core.warnings import user_deprecation_warning
 
 
 @rfm.simple_test
diff --git a/unittests/test_config.py b/unittests/test_config.py
index c59c5aacb2..bee766b910 100644
--- a/unittests/test_config.py
+++ b/unittests/test_config.py
@@ -8,8 +8,9 @@
 import pytest
 
 import reframe.core.config as config
-from reframe.core.exceptions import (ConfigError, ReframeDeprecationWarning)
+from reframe.core.exceptions import ConfigError
 from reframe.core.systems import System
+from reframe.core.warnings import ReframeDeprecationWarning
 
 
 def test_load_config_fallback(monkeypatch):
diff --git a/unittests/test_fields.py b/unittests/test_fields.py
index c79e864f73..5763af784c 100644
--- a/unittests/test_fields.py
+++ b/unittests/test_fields.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 import pytest
 
 import reframe.core.fields as fields
-from reframe.core.exceptions import ReframeDeprecationWarning
+from reframe.core.warnings import ReframeDeprecationWarning
 from reframe.utility import ScopedDict
 
 
diff --git a/unittests/test_loader.py b/unittests/test_loader.py
index f8af8631d7..873e4da77d 100644
--- a/unittests/test_loader.py
+++ b/unittests/test_loader.py
@@ -8,9 +8,9 @@
 
 import reframe as rfm
 from reframe.core.exceptions import (ConfigError, NameConflictError,
-                                     ReframeDeprecationWarning,
                                      RegressionTestLoadError)
 from reframe.core.systems import System
+from reframe.core.warnings import ReframeDeprecationWarning
 from reframe.frontend.loader import RegressionCheckLoader
 
 
diff --git a/unittests/test_warnings.py b/unittests/test_warnings.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..dc84e96cf5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/unittests/test_warnings.py
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+import pytest
+import warnings
+
+import reframe.core.runtime as rt
+import reframe.core.warnings as warn
+import reframe.utility.color as color
+import unittests.fixtures as fixtures
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(params=['colors', 'nocolors'])
+def with_colors(request):
+    with rt.temp_runtime(fixtures.BUILTIN_CONFIG_FILE, 'generic',
+                         {'general/colorize': request.param == 'colors'}):
+        yield request.param == 'colors'
+
+
+def test_deprecation_warning():
+    with pytest.warns(warn.ReframeDeprecationWarning):
+        warn.user_deprecation_warning('deprecated')
+
+
+def test_deprecation_warning_formatting(with_colors):
+    message = warnings.formatwarning(
+        'deprecated', warn.ReframeDeprecationWarning, 'file', 10, 'a = 1'
+    )
+    expected = 'file:10: WARNING: deprecated\na = 1\n'
+    if with_colors:
+        expected = color.colorize(expected, color.YELLOW)
+
+    assert message == expected
+
+
+def test_deprecation_warning_formatting_noline(tmp_path, with_colors):
+    srcfile = tmp_path / 'file'
+    srcfile.touch()
+
+    message = warnings.formatwarning(
+        'deprecated', warn.ReframeDeprecationWarning, srcfile, 10
+    )
+    expected = f'{srcfile}:10: WARNING: deprecated\n<no line information>\n'
+    if with_colors:
+        expected = color.colorize(expected, color.YELLOW)
+
+    assert message == expected
+
+
+def test_random_warning_formatting():
+    message = warnings.formatwarning(
+        'deprecated', UserWarning, 'file', 10, 'a = 1'
+    )
+    assert message == f'file:10: UserWarning: deprecated\n  a = 1\n'