Be Prepared for Extreme Weather – 10 Suggested Mobile Weather Emergency Notification Apps

I’ve lived in tornado country and I know how important it is to have as much notification as possible when extreme weather is in the area.

Getting important SMS or mobile alerts of extreme weather like tornadic activity can be a life saver. A number of fine mobile apps are on the market, many of them free to download, and most of these could make a huge difference in saving life and/or property. Typically, these apps provide access to weather data such as temperature, rainfall data, barometric pressure, and other important weather variables. Additionally, these apps can also ensure that you are made aware of national weather service emergency notifications as well as local conditions and local warning.  For anyone that resides in areas that are prone to summer rainfall, wind, and tornado activity an effective

To help you be prepared here’s 10 weather alert notification apps and services to consider:

1. AccuWeather –AccuWeather.com provides free email forecast and severe weather alerts

2. ALERT FM is an aggregator of State and Local emergency information with multiple contact paths for mass notification. Emergency information is delivered via the data subcarrier of existing FM radio stations, SMS (text) and email. This personal alert and messaging system allows emergency management officials to create and send digital alerts and messages to recipients such as first responders, school officials, businesses, and citizens based on geographic or organizational groupings.
3. Disaster Alert is a mobile multi-hazard monitoring application created for iOS and Android™ users. By accessing the DisasterAWARE platform, it provides users with near real-time access to data on active hazards globally—showing events that are designated potentially hazardous to people, property, or assets.
4. Emergency Email – FREE Emergency Notification of Breaking Weather Alerts Health, Homeland & Cyber Info sent to your email & wireless device.
5. iAlert – Designed, managed, and run by meteorologists, iAlert.com delivers real-time severe weather and emergency alerts by text message and email for any U.S. City for free.
6. iMap WeatherRadio – WDT’s iMap services provide dynamic interactive and mobile weather mapping solutions for the world’s leading local media and Internet companies. WDT is a global leader in providing state-of-the-science weather detection, nowcasting, and forecasting systems
7. Ping4alerts! app helps you stay in touch with your local world by sending you alerts based on your location and selected preferences. Get public safety and local event information wherever you go, including National Weather Service and NOAA alerts
8. StormWatch+ provides push notifications for a variety of weather hazards to your iPhone/iPad. Combining storm-based warnings issued by the NWS and your precise GPS-derived location, StormWatch+ will send instant alerts of impending hazardous weather, but only if the locations you define are directly threatened.
9. Tornado from American Red Cross – Provides alerts of NWS Tornado watches/warnings and severe thunderstorm watches/warnings.  Educates the user about severe weather safety
10. The Storm Shield Severe Weather App turns your iPhone or Android into an emergency weather radio. Get storm-based alerts for life-threatening weather events via voice and push notifications. Users can program the app to receive alerts for up to five locations

What app do you use for emergency notifications? Ping me @gletham

See Also:

• keep track of wildfires with the ESRI wildfire information map
• Live Esri Map Shows Moore, Oklahoma Tornado Track, Schools, and Relief Locations 
• NOAA – Joplin tornado offers important lessons for disaster preparedness