Living in a hurricane-prone area can be nerve-wracking, especially during hurricane season. Thanks to advancements in technology, we now have the ability to track and monitor these powerful storms right from our smartphones, allowing us to stay informed and prepared. In this post, we’ll be going over some of the top hurricane tracking apps available.
These hurricane tracker apps can provide you with real-time updates, weather forecasts, and even emergency preparation information, all crucial for personal safety and planning. Please note that the data here was accurate as of 2021, and make sure to check the availability and features of these apps as per the current date.
1. National Hurricane Center Data
The Hurricane Tracker app for iOS is an all-inclusive platform for monitoring hurricanes, providing a plethora of features that allows users to stay informed and prepared. Offering GOES satellite imagery animations, it lets you observe the storm in real-time. In partnership with the National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service, it delivers authoritative alerts, predictions, and other related products.
The app is also designed to send tropical weather push notifications, ensuring you’re updated with the latest storm developments. With its unique Satellite Imagery Home Screen Widget, you can glance at the storm’s current status without even opening the app. The app also includes Spaghetti Models – visual representations of potential hurricane paths, essential for predicting a storm’s trajectory.
Compatibility: iPad/iPhone, Android. Price: Free, offers in-app purchases.
2- Global Storm
Global Storm is an information-rich app from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It offers updates on storms across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans, as well as on mainland storms, such as tornadoes and severe thunderstorm alerts. Users can also access animated satellite views worldwide, data from the National Data Buoy Center, and the ultraviolet index.
Compatibility: iPad/iPhone, Android. Price: Free, offers in-app purchases.
3. My Hurricane Tracker and Alerts
This application features interactive tracking maps for each hurricane, allowing users to monitor the paths of these powerful storms actively. It also provides access to NOAA forecast maps and storm satellite imagery, offering real-time, authoritative data. The app also includes a historic search function that lets users explore previous storms dating back to 1851 for the Atlantic and 1949 for the Pacific, providing a wealth of historical weather data at your fingertips.
Staying ahead of the storm is made easier with weather warnings directly from the National Weather Service. You’ll also receive push notifications for new weather warnings or storm formations, ensuring that you’re always in the know. The app automatically updates radar, satellite, and sea temperature images, offering a complete picture of the current weather situation. Additionally, users can get a glimpse into the future with a 5-day outlook from the NOAA.
Compatibility: iPad/iPhone, Android. Price: Free.
4- The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel provides a comprehensive weather app equipped with live Doppler radar maps, weather widgets, and accurate weather updates. Prepare for incoming weather with the app’s local storm radar and severe weather warnings to stay informed about storms, heavy rain, snow, and more.
The live Doppler radar updates your weather widget and alerts you to changes in the forecast directly on your home screen. GPS-enabled local weather maps offer live radar readings, storm radar alerts, and weather warnings, so you can be prepared for whatever weather conditions may arise.
Compatibility: iPad/iPhone, Android. Price: Free, offers in-app purchases.
5- Storm Radar with NOAA Weather
Storm Radar is an all-in-one, high-resolution storm and hurricane tracker designed to keep you safe and informed when severe weather is on the horizon. You can now accurately monitor severe weather in real-time, receiving live alerts from the NOAA/National Weather Service directly on your device, including winter storm warnings, tornado warnings, severe thunderstorm warnings, and more.
Whether you need to stay informed about the weather for your work, home safety, or hobbies, Storm Radar helps you visualize the weather like never before with its advanced map visualizations—the same technology The Weather Channel relies on.
Compatibility: iPad/iPhone. Price: Free, offers in-app purchases.
6. Clime
Clime: NOAA Weather Radar Live delivers real-time radar images, severe weather alerts, and accurate weather forecasts, all of which are precise and timely, helping ensure your safety in various weather conditions.
Stay informed with a radar overlay that presents areas of rain, snow, and mixed precipitation in high-resolution, vivid colors directly on an interactive map. The app also includes a precipitation map that offers a forecast for the next 24 hours, and a satellite map that illustrates cloud cover. With options to choose background maps (standard, hybrid, satellite), search locations, and add them to bookmarks, this app empowers you to stay safe and informed.
Compatibility: iPad/iPhone, Android. Price: Free, offers in-app purchases.
7.The Ventusky
The Ventusky application offers a unique blend of highly precise weather forecasts for your specific location and a captivating 3D map that portrays broader weather developments. This combination enables users to discern the origins of precipitation and wind direction. The app’s distinctiveness arises from the massive volume of data it displays. It provides weather forecasts, precipitation, wind, cloud cover, atmospheric pressure, snow cover, and other meteorological data for varying altitudes across the globe.
One of the innovative features of Ventusky is the Wind Animation. The application presents wind information using streamlines, which vividly capture the ongoing evolution of weather patterns. Given that airflow on Earth is always in motion, these streamlines paint an incredible picture of this continuous activity, making the interconnectedness of all atmospheric phenomena evident.
Compatibility: iPad/iPhone, Android. Price: Free, offers in-app purchases.
8- MyRadar Weather Radar
MyRadar is a powerful, user-friendly weather app that delivers real-time animated weather radar around your current location, enabling you to anticipate the weather conditions coming your way. Upon launching the app, your location immediately pops up with a live, animated radar, offering radar loop lengths of up to two hours. A quick glance at your phone provides an immediate understanding of the weather conditions that may affect your day.
In addition to live radar, MyRadar boasts a continually expanding list of weather and environmentally-related data layers that can be superimposed on the map. Its animated winds layer offers a stunning visual representation of both surface winds and jetstream level winds.
The frontal boundaries layer illustrates high and low-pressure systems, as well as frontal boundaries. The earthquakes layer is a highly customizable feature providing the latest updates on seismic activity based on severity and time. The hurricane layer keeps users informed about the latest tropical storms and hurricane activities worldwide.
Compatibility: iPad/iPhone, Android. Price: Free, offers in-app purchases.
9. AccuWeather
AccuWeather, a renowned free weather forecast app, provides you with reliable weather information at your fingertips. AccuWeather has been internationally recognized by the World Meteorological Organization with multiple awards.
AccuWeather offers trusted forecasting and severe weather alerts. From local weather updates to WinterCast snow alerts, you can rely on AccuWeather’s forecasts. The app provides in-depth weather news, forecast updates, free weather alerts, and more.
Compatibility: iPad/iPhone, Android. Price: Free, offers in-app purchases.
