Weather Monitoring Apps

06 July, 2025 | All

[HonkyTonkMan]

With the crazy weather we have been having (fires, floods, heat, etc). I thought it would be nice to start to a thread with recommendations for the sake of preparedness.

Recommendations

• Best Overall App: AccuWeather for its balance of accuracy, usability, and short-term forecasts.

• Best for Storm Chasing: RadarScope for professional radar data.

• Best Overall Weather Radio: Midland WR400 for reliable, localized alerts and home use.

• Best Portable Radio: Sangean MMR-88 for emergencies or outdoor activities.

• Best Budget Radio: Kaito Voyager KA500 for affordability and versatility.

[Texas resident]

Snapping Pines is a definite indicator. Heard that during Hurricane Ike all night.

Also, I look for where Jim Cantore is. Don’t be there.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Isn’t that incredible? A tornado hit the Rathdrum Prairie a few miles west before that blew in.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

“Snapping Pines” sounds like a good town name.

[MRadtke]

Keeping a decent weather radio around is one of the basics, IMHO. We use a Sangean CL-100, it does work well.

https://www.sangean.com/en/product/cl-100-black

[ConservativeMind]

I encourage everyone to use a weather app that has free storm tracks and when clicking on a storm cell, it tells you what the rate of rain is and the largest hail size.

One such free app is “Indy Weather Authority.” I have found FOX channels seem to partner most with The Weather Company to provide this free feature with sponsorship. This back end is available on all sorts of branded television station weather apps, all over the country.

Be sure to add the radar layer for “Storm Tracks.”

[ConservativeMind]

The alerts can be set to only ever go off when an actual Tornado Warning for only your 1/9 of your county is issued.

That’s what I did. It works great!

[smokingfrog]

That’s what I use. You can set it up for notifications, but I haven’t turned that option on. It has been very good for tracking hurricanes.

[Codeflier]

That would be better. Not sure the one she had at the time had that granularity.

[FamiliarFace]

At 6 pm, The Weather Channel app said there was only a 10% chance of rain before midnight. We haven’t had a drop of rain in a week, and I kid you not. Not a drop. Great for fireworks. Not great for my garden.

Around 7:30 pm, we started to see a little spritz. Thought it wouldn’t last very long, based on recent history. Plus, the “expert” forecast.

Well, the rain has been ongoing. We may be slowing down to a drizzle.

Now, I don’t mind, because my plants needed a good drink. I just wish the weather guessers could be a little more accurate.

[ConservativeMind]

If it is a SAME NOAA weather radio, this is how you code it:

https://www.weather.gov/nwr/nwrsame

Every county in the country is carved into a tic-tac-toe board, which becomes one of the numbers you program in, along with the alert you want and the country and state.

Don’t have any other alerts active aside from the one covering your 1/9 of your county.

Do note we see a light for the other alerts, just no sound.

[JennysCool]

I was happy to see on Ryan’s daily report this morning that he (calmly, as ever) chastised those brainless idiots in the media who were squawking “Was DOGE at fault? Did cuts in government DOOM these people???” Ryan made it a point to stress that there were Weather Service warnings that this might happen days ahead, hours ahead. This disaster was a terrible, once-in-a-century event. No one could have imagined the full magnitude in advance.

[Newbomb Turk]

Yes ! Ryan and everyone that make his channel run are awesome !

[FamiliarFace]

I was mistaken. It’s coming down harder than ever now.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Lol…yes, the “look out the window” short-term precast always works.

[kvanbrunt2]

noaa.gov

[spel_grammer_an_punct_polise]

I am going to put this thread on my “Favorites” list!

Thank you to all of you!

[Codeflier]

Thank you for the information.

[metmom]

Prepper ping.

[texas booster]

BTTT. Important topic.

[Georgia Girl 2]

I just look at weather bug online. Its usually pretty accurate and has a radar map.