Editor's Review
Radar Alive! is designed for serious weather enthusiasts, storm chasers, and professional meteorologists. Developed by a veteran storm chaser, this app delivers real-time weather radar data from all US states and Puerto Rico directly to your phone or tablet. Watch tornadoes, hurricanes, and other severe weather events unfold live and in Level III detail. 🌪️📱
Monitor your local weather radar and receive timely warnings directly on the map, accompanied by detailed warning text. A simple long press on the map allows you to switch to the nearest doppler radar for more localized information. The METAR layer provides current weather conditions and observations, ensuring you're always informed. 📍
One of the standout features of Radar Alive! is its integration with Spotter Network. Track selected storm chasers and automatically report your own position without needing to keep the app open. ⚠️ Note: Enabling the reporting feature will share your exact location, even in the background, which can be stopped at any time. This feature makes it an invaluable tool for coordinated weather monitoring and reporting. 📡
Radar Alive! is packed with features suitable for storm chasers, meteorologists, emergency personnel, SKYWARN spotters, and weather enthusiasts alike. The app offers a wide selection of US radar products and displays selected NWS severe weather warnings on a customizable, low-clutter map showing cities, roads, counties, and states. The display is optimized for both phones and tablets, ensuring a seamless experience across devices. 🗺️
Choose from various radar products at multiple tilt angles, including composite and base reflectivity, base and storm relative velocity, VIL, and hydrometeor classification (type of precipitation). Spot tornadoes with velocity and base reflectivity plots, view warning boxes and text, and monitor hail using the hydrometeor classification display. 📊
The images in Radar Alive! are generated from NOAA's NEXRAD Level III binary data (NWS weather radar), and the carefully simplified maps minimize clutter, providing a clear and focused radar display. 🖼️
For advanced users, an AllisonHouse subscription unlocks super-resolution radar data, an alternate data source, and additional products like lightning, watches, local storm reports, and SPC Day 1 convective outlook. ⚡
The app also includes smart GPS usage to conserve battery power, network bandwidth conservation, and maps optimized specifically for weather radars. These features ensure that Radar Alive! is not only powerful but also efficient and user-friendly. 🔋
The integrated Spotter Network client allows you to display positions of all or selected active users, report your position automatically, and make weather event reports. Remember, if reporting is enabled, the app will share your exact location, even in the background, which can be disabled at any time. 🌐
Features
Live weather radar from all US states
Displays tornadoes, hurricanes in detail
Monitors local weather radar effectively
Shows warnings on the map and text
METAR layer for weather conditions
Tracks and reports storm chaser positions
Multiple tilt angles for radar products
Hydrometeor classification display
NEXRAD Level III binary data images
Pros
Detailed Level III radar data
Real-time severe weather warnings
Customizable map with low clutter
Spotter Network integration
Optimized for battery and bandwidth
AllisonHouse subscription for advanced data
Cons
Built-in support form currently unavailable
Background location reporting needs caution
APK
Google Play