Clime: NOAA Weather Radar Live

Love it b/c it let’s me look at the weather in other cities before I finalize my travel plans so I will know what the weather will be where I’m going and the outlook for several days which makes it easy to make decisions to still go or postpone due to possible bad weather forecasted. For example I was planning a trip to the Mountain here in Asheville, North Carolina and found that the weather was not going to be in my favor due to snow. First, I’m disabled and can’t take chances on being stuck somewhere I’m not able to get back home cause they shut down the highway when bad weather comes. Second, where I currently reside in North Carolina we get plenty of bad weather from snow, sleet, freezing rain and blizzard (due to nor Easters). I don’t take chances at home so why would I want to take chances somewhere else. I can’t take a risk of falling b/c of several medical issues that restrict my ability to get around (both knees been replaced and currently waiting on date for lower spine surgery) along with several other medical issues that restrict my ability to just go and take unnecessary chances. This app helps me make smart decisions that will best help me protect my health. Love it. It’s a 5 Star App. Highly Recommend you get it if you don’t already have it.

I have used the ‘full’ NOAA website for three decades to track hurricanes and watch for local bad weather. I have not used the app for hurricanes, yet, but the local maps for the radar loop are problematic, even with internet service, on the iPhone. They are almost useless for accurate local data on tornadoes (still great for tracking larger storms and rapidly moving fronts) due to data limits, particularly heavy local cell system usage during tornadoes. This app trims links to the massive database at NOAA for the power of a shorter ‘history’ (4 passed tracks to 7 on the full website, or 35-40 minutes instead of 70 minutes), but the ‘loss’ of tracking information is minor and FAST current data is more useful during sudden weather and for driving. It was invaluable during a recent trip to New Orleans to time leave times and plan stops to avoid pop up thunderstorms. Nothing but good things found with app over NOAA main website and local news weather apps (lots of adds with the ‘locals’ and websites are problematic to find using iPhone when traveling).

This would be a 5 star app if it werent for full screen ads that come up in seconds after opening. And weather details that slide open/closed/open/closed so cant read the forecast! Weather Channel app opens to beautiful scene, gives forecast and if scroll we can see radar, week ahead, etc. Sorry developers, you still after all these months cant get this NOAA app to function well. Instead of creatively having ads within the app page the pop-up ads cover full screen, often X to close ad is hidden, cant get ad to close. After getting to page the weather report that pops out of the right side goes away before you can read it, weather is gone and wont come back until you keep clicking, dragging etc. or close app and open again, but then you get another page covering ad again. Shame the app developers dont know how to build an app that has ads creatively in them like so many other apps. Deleted this again, I love the Weather channel app SO much better!

It says it’s free in the App Store, but then you can’t even open the App until you sign up for a paid subscription. Really shady considering I think many people come to the app looking to track hurricanes that may threaten their lives and the makers of this app are trying to take advantage of them. Just do the right thing and list that it has a cost up front. It does have a ONE WEEK free trial option but that is linked to auto renew in 1 WEEK at $2.99 PER WEEK and I think the free trial doesn’t even include SHOWING the hurricanes anywhere, you would need to purchase the PREMIUM subscription for that, but you don’t find out any of that until after you sign up for auto renew. Also BUYER BEWARE, if you decide not to get the free trial and you leave the app, but then go back later thinking fine, I’ll just do the one week trial and remember to cancel in one week if the app is not good, the RATE HAS CHANGED to a 3 DAY TRIAL that auto renews in 3 DAYS and NOW AT $3.99 A WEEK! Super shady and sneaky. Most deceptive app I’ve ever come across. Seems like these people are trying to take advantage of people afraid of an impending potentially tragic hurricane and seems exactly like a form of price gouging, and just low low low business tactics. It’s incredibly shameful.

Downloaded the app, authorized the download with my fingerprint, then opened the app and was immediately prompted by another screen asking for my fingerprint, right after I said that I didn’t want to pay, that I just wanted the free version, they don’t clarify that the free version is 7 days free, and after that is paid. When it prompted me the second time for my fingerprint, I never thought I’d be paying a week later, since I selected the free version. I know they’re going to say “but it says on the screen that it’s not free” thing is, they use smaller fonts and on the bottom, making it deceiving and impossible to see at first glance. Also, NOAA is a government agency, pretty much the “Weather Bureau” (as you used to be called) you’re funded by taxes, literally “for the people by the people”, why do you charge people for an app, that only mirrors something that it’s already paid for with tax dollars, I know there’s app developers and support and everything, but the department doesn’t live off these payments through the AppStore, your department has an anual budget, so why, WHY, why charge people for something that’s already paid for, AND SUCH AN OUTRAGEOUS AMOUNT!?