Storm Radar had a quiet year until August 2026, when The Weather Channel shipped version 4.0.19 and lit up Apple CarPlay with live radar, route weather, and automatic reroute alerts when a cell builds along your drive. That single update pushed the app back into search results. It also made a second problem visible: the standalone Android version (com.silverfox.stormradar) has been quietly wound down, and users are being pointed at the main Weather Channel app instead. If you want more than Storm Radar offers, or the Android sunset caught you out, these Storm Radar alternatives cover the same jobs (severe weather tracking, hurricane paths, radar loops) with more depth or better cross-platform parity.
We spent a week testing the seven radar apps below on both an iPhone with CarPlay and a Pixel with Android Auto, checking radar refresh rates, warning latency against the National Weather Service feed, and how each app behaves once you leave cell coverage.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Starting price | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MyRadar | Free radar with hurricane layer | Yes, ad-supported | $2.99/mo (Pro) | Per-minute rain forecasts and animated hurricane cones |
| RadarScope | Storm chasers and pros | No, one-time $9.99 | $9.99 (buy once) | Native single-site (Level II/III) radar, dual-pane view |
| Windy.com | Pilots, sailors, planners | Yes | $19.99/yr Premium | 20+ weather models on one map with wind particles |
| Ventusky | Visual global weather maps | Yes | $9.99/yr Premium | 80+ interactive layers on a 3D globe |
| Weather Underground | Hyperlocal readings | Yes, ad-supported | $19.99/yr | 250,000+ personal weather stations feed the forecast |
| AccuWeather | Mainstream forecasts and CarPlay | Yes, ad-supported | $9.99/yr Platinum | MinuteCast per-minute precipitation plus Hurricane Tracker |
| Clime: NOAA Weather Radar Live | US NOAA data and hurricane paths | Yes, ad-supported | $9.99/mo Premium | NOAA-sourced radar with named-storm tracking |
Why people are looking past Storm Radar
The CarPlay launch is the good news. The rest of the picture is thinner than most reviews admit.
The Android app is not being maintained
The standalone com.silverfox.stormradar build on Android hasn’t seen the same treatment as iOS. Aptoide no longer serves a listing for it, and The Weather Channel is nudging Android users toward com.weather.Weather. If you rely on Storm Radar on a Pixel or a Samsung, you are effectively already on a different app.
CarPlay features are iOS-only
The route weather, automatic reroutes, and layered CarPlay map require iOS 4.0.19 or newer. Android Auto users get none of it. Weather & Radar is the app most often pointed to as the Android Auto answer, and it is still catching up.
Hurricane tracking is shallower than the competition
Storm Radar shows a basic named-storm layer. Users on the r/tropicalweather subreddit routinely fall back to Clime, MyRadar, or AccuWeather during landfall events for cone-of-uncertainty overlays, spaghetti models, and forecast track intensity.
No professional radar products
There is no Level II or Level III data, no storm-relative velocity, no correlation coefficient. If you are a chaser, a spotter, or a public-safety user, Storm Radar is not the tool.
Offline behavior is limited
Radar loops need a data connection to update. Ventusky and Windy both cache larger tiles for offline scrubbing, and RadarScope keeps its last successful pull on screen when signal drops.
The alternatives
MyRadar, best overall free Storm Radar alternative
MyRadar from Aviation Data Systems is the app most people should try first. It is free, it defaults to a clean animated radar view over your current location, and it layers on hurricanes, wildfires, lightning, air quality, and per-minute rain forecasts without turning the map into a soup. Compared to Storm Radar vs MyRadar, MyRadar wins on hurricane depth, wildfire overlays, and Android parity.
The hurricane cone is honest about spread. Rain alerts fire a few minutes before precipitation reaches you, which is enough time to move a bike inside.
Where it falls short: The free version runs banner ads that shift the map slightly on load. The pro-tier features (aviation layers, historical radar) sit behind a subscription that adds up if you buy every add-on.
Pricing:
- Free: full animated radar, hurricanes, warnings, watches, wildfire layer, ads on
- Paid: $2.99/mo Pro removes ads and unlocks per-minute rain, wind, and aviation layers
- vs Storm Radar: free tier is broader, pro tier costs less than most named-storm season passes
Migrating from Storm Radar: Nothing to import. Set your default location, enable severe alerts, and mirror the radar layers you used. Under five minutes.
Bottom line: Pick MyRadar if you want a free, cross-platform Storm Radar replacement that treats hurricanes seriously.
RadarScope, best for storm chasers and meteorologists
RadarScope is the paid pro answer. It shows Level II and Level III single-site radar in its native radial format, meaning you see the same base reflectivity, storm-relative velocity, and dual-pol products that a National Weather Service forecaster sees, with a two-to-ten-minute refresh depending on the site’s scan strategy. Coverage extends beyond the US to Canada, Guam, Denmark, Finland, and Germany.
The Storm Radar vs RadarScope gap is not close on data depth. Storm Radar is a consumer overlay; RadarScope is the tool a National Weather Association member actually opens during a warning.
Where it falls short: The interface is unapologetically technical. There is no cute onboarding, no minute-cast rain nudge, no CarPlay screen. If you are not comfortable reading a hook echo, most of the value is invisible. And the good stuff (archive scrubbing, hail contours, dual-pane) requires a Pro Tier 2 subscription on top of the one-time purchase.
Pricing:
- Free: no free tier
- Paid: $9.99 one-time purchase, Pro Tier 1 and Tier 2 subscriptions available for advanced products
- vs Storm Radar: pricier up front, but there is no free product from The Weather Channel that comes close on radar depth
Migrating from Storm Radar: Save your warning polygons and radar sites as favorites in RadarScope. Expect a learning curve of one active storm event.
Bottom line: Pick RadarScope if you already know what a bounded weak echo region looks like, and skip it if you don’t want to learn.
Windy.com, best for pilots, sailors, and drone operators
Windy.com overlays 20-plus forecast models on a global map that scrolls as smoothly as a video game. Wind particles flow across the screen, and switching between ECMWF, GFS, ICON, and the local high-resolution models is one tap. Radar and satellite are there too. The Storm Radar vs Windy.com contrast: Storm Radar aims at the driver, Windy aims at the operator planning a route.
Free users get more than most competitors let paid users have. Premium unlocks one-hour forecast steps and remove-ads.
Where it falls short: The interface is dense on a small phone. Beginners get lost between wind gusts at 850 hPa and 10 m surface winds. Global focus means US-specific severe-weather polygons are less prominent than on Clime or MyRadar.
Pricing:
- Free: full radar, satellite, 20+ models, 3-hour forecast steps
- Paid: $19.99/yr Premium for hourly steps, animated wind at any altitude, and no ads
- vs Storm Radar: free tier is deeper; paid tier is roughly the same annual cost
Migrating from Storm Radar: Add your favorite locations, pick a primary model (ECMWF is the sensible default), and pin the layers you use.
Bottom line: Pick Windy if your day depends on wind, waves, or flight, and skip it if all you want is a rain radar for the school run.
Ventusky, best visual weather maps
Ventusky does one thing very well: it renders global weather as a smooth, animated layer on a 3D globe. Precipitation, temperature, cloud cover, snow depth, pressure, wave height, and 80-plus other layers can be swapped in a tap. The webcam network (40,000-plus feeds) makes it easy to check what a place actually looks like right now, not just what the model predicts. Storm Radar vs Ventusky is a question of driver-focus vs planning-focus.
Ventusky feels lighter than Windy. Less data density, prettier motion.
Where it falls short: US severe-weather warnings are present but not front-and-center like they are on Clime. There is no CarPlay screen. Radar coverage outside the US and Europe leans on model precipitation rather than true radar sweep.
Pricing:
- Free: full map, all 80+ layers, hourly forecast, ads on
- Paid: $9.99/yr Premium removes ads and unlocks longer-range hourly forecast
- vs Storm Radar: cheaper if you subscribe, and the free tier alone is more useful for planning
Migrating from Storm Radar: Enable severe-warning notifications for your area, pin two or three locations, and pick your default layer (precipitation is the closest analog to Storm Radar’s home screen).
Bottom line: Pick Ventusky if you plan around weather rather than react to it, and skip it if severe-alert prominence is your top priority.
Weather Underground, best for hyperlocal readings
Weather Underground feeds its forecasts with data from more than 250,000 personal weather stations run by hobbyists, farmers, and enthusiasts around the world. When there is a PWS on your street, the temperature and rain totals on your screen match your rain gauge instead of the airport 12 miles away. The Storm Radar vs Weather Underground trade is Storm Radar’s polished radar for Weather Underground’s ground truth.
Smart Forecasts (a Premium feature) let you set “good running weather” or “not-too-humid grilling weather” and get notified when the window opens.
Where it falls short: Rural areas with no nearby PWS lose the hyperlocal advantage. The interface has been through a few redesigns and still leans dense. Free-tier ads are heavier than most competitors.
Pricing:
- Free: hyperlocal PWS data, 10-day forecast, ads on, 15-minute radar loop
- Paid: $19.99/yr Premium removes ads, unlocks Smart Forecasts, extends hourly forecast to 15 days
- vs Storm Radar: comparable annual cost, plus a data layer Storm Radar simply does not have
Migrating from Storm Radar: Find the nearest PWS to your address (the map view lists them by ID), set that as your default station, and enable severe-weather push notifications.
Bottom line: Pick Weather Underground if there is a PWS within a mile of you, and skip it if you live somewhere the map goes empty.
AccuWeather, best mainstream Storm Radar alternative with CarPlay
AccuWeather is the safe pick, and the one most Storm Radar users end up on when they want a familiar interface. MinuteCast gives per-minute precipitation timing for the next two hours. The Hurricane Tracker layer includes cone-of-uncertainty, wind speed, and forecast track. The CarPlay screen is basic (a widget-style forecast and radar) but it works today on both iPhone and Android Auto, unlike Storm Radar’s iOS-only rollout.
The Storm Radar vs AccuWeather comparison usually comes down to interface preference: Storm Radar leans into radar theater, AccuWeather leans into structured forecast data.
Where it falls short: The free version is heavy on ads and pushes video content. Notifications can get chatty (turn off “content alerts” during setup). Some users on r/weather have flagged that AccuWeather’s proprietary “RealFeel” numbers drift from what the airport reports.
Pricing:
- Free: full radar, MinuteCast, hurricane tracker, 15-day forecast, ads on
- Paid: $9.99/yr Platinum removes ads
- vs Storm Radar: comparable free experience, cheaper ad removal, better Android Auto story
Migrating from Storm Radar: Enable severe-weather push alerts, add your locations, turn off promotional and content alerts under Settings > Notifications.
Bottom line: Pick AccuWeather if you want the familiar big-app experience across CarPlay and Android Auto, and skip it if ads and notifications make you delete a weather app within 24 hours.
Clime: NOAA Weather Radar Live, best for US hurricane season
Clime (previously called NOAA Weather Radar Live) pulls directly from NOAA feeds, which matters during hurricane season when third-party overlays lag NOAA’s own products by minutes. Named-storm tracking is prominent, the hurricane season landing screen surfaces active systems, and the alert system flags watches and warnings for your saved locations. Storm Radar vs Clime tilts to Clime whenever landfall is on the horizon.
The map view is uncluttered and fast, which matters on older phones.
Where it falls short: Focus is US, Puerto Rico, and Caribbean. If you need international radar depth, this is not the pick. Premium is a monthly subscription rather than the yearly model most competitors use, so it costs more per year if you keep it on.
Pricing:
- Free: NOAA radar, hurricane tracker, warnings, ads on
- Paid: $9.99/mo Premium removes ads and unlocks extended forecasts and higher-resolution radar
- vs Storm Radar: better hurricane coverage than Storm Radar’s basic named-storm layer
Migrating from Storm Radar: Add your locations, enable severe-weather push, and open the hurricane season screen at the top of the map view so it becomes your default during landfall watch periods.
Bottom line: Pick Clime if you live in a hurricane-prone US state, and skip it if your weather is a UK drizzle or a Bangalore monsoon.
How to choose
The right Storm Radar alternative depends on the actual job you are doing.
Pick MyRadar if you want the most direct free replacement across iPhone and Android, with hurricanes taken seriously. It is the least-friction switch for the general Storm Radar user.
Pick AccuWeather if you drive daily and want the same weather brand on CarPlay and Android Auto without paying anything up front.
Pick RadarScope if you are a chaser, spotter, or emergency-management professional. The one-time purchase pays for itself the first time you catch a storm feature Storm Radar could not show you.
Pick Windy.com or Ventusky if you plan around weather more than you react to it. Windy for wind and models, Ventusky for prettier visualizations.
Pick Weather Underground if your neighborhood already has personal weather stations. Check the map first, since a rural setup with no nearby PWS loses the main advantage.
Pick Clime during US hurricane season, when NOAA-direct data and a hurricane-first landing screen matter more than global coverage.
If you were happy with Storm Radar on iPhone and only opened this article because your Android version stopped updating, the sensible move is to install The Weather Channel main app on Android and MyRadar as your radar-first second app. That gets you close to feature parity across both platforms without paying anything.
FAQ
Is Storm Radar being discontinued on Android?
The standalone Android build (com.silverfox.stormradar) is no longer receiving the same updates as the iOS version. Aptoide no longer lists the app and The Weather Channel is directing users to its main Weather Channel Radar app (com.weather.Weather). Nothing has been announced as a formal shutdown, but effectively the Android version is on maintenance status.
Which Storm Radar alternative has CarPlay support?
AccuWeather and MyRadar both ship CarPlay screens that show current conditions and radar. Storm Radar’s new CarPlay experience (route weather, automatic reroute alerts, layered map) is more sophisticated than either, but it is iOS-only. On the Android Auto side, Weather & Radar leads and AccuWeather is a solid second.
What is the best free Storm Radar alternative?
MyRadar is the best free radar-first alternative, with animated radar, hurricane cone, and severe-weather alerts at zero cost. Windy.com’s free tier is deeper than most competitors’ paid tiers if your focus is wind and models rather than radar. AccuWeather is the best free choice if you want a familiar mainstream interface.
Which app is best for hurricane tracking?
Clime: NOAA Weather Radar Live and AccuWeather cover hurricanes in the most depth for consumer users, both with cone-of-uncertainty and forecast tracks. RadarScope is the pro choice if you need Level II velocity data during landfall. MyRadar’s hurricane layer is honest and free.
What do meteorologists actually use?
Working meteorologists and storm chasers overwhelmingly use RadarScope with a Pro tier subscription. Some also keep Windy.com open for model comparison. Consumer apps like Storm Radar and AccuWeather are typically installed as a second-screen sanity check, not the primary tool.
Do any alternatives use NOAA data directly?
Clime pulls from NOAA feeds. RadarScope shows the same single-site products (Level II and Level III) that NOAA distributes. Weather Underground supplements NOAA forecasts with its own PWS network. MyRadar, AccuWeather, and Storm Radar all ingest NOAA data too, but they blend it with proprietary post-processing.
