Get a push notification the moment a tornado warning is issued for a place you save, with the stormcell behind it visible on the map.
Tornado Warning
now
McClain County, OK. Take shelter now, away from windows.
Tornado Watch
1h ago
Walker County, AL. Conditions are favorable for tornadoes to develop.
What is a tornado tracker app?
A tornado tracker app is a map-based tool that shows tornado watches and warnings as they are issued, together with the stormcells behind the warnings. Hurricane for iPhone puts that tracker directly on the map, with a Stormcells layer and a push notification for every location you save.
Tornado Watch
Tornado Warning
Stormcells
Stormcells
What is a stormcell?
A stormcell is a single thunderstorm that forms, moves, and dies out largely on its own, instead of arriving as part of a broad line of storms. When a stormcell’s updraft starts rotating, it becomes a supercell, the storm structure most tornadoes come from.
The Stormcells layer sits on the same map as live weather radar, lightning, wind, and every other layer Hurricane tracks, so you see the rotation next to the rain instead of switching between apps.
What you see on the map
What it usually means
A broad, even band of rain
A line of ordinary storms, or a weather front passing through. Lower tornado risk.
A tight, isolated stormcell
A single storm strong enough to develop its own circulation. Worth watching.
A stormcell marked as rotating on the Stormcells layer
A supercell. This is the storm structure a Tornado Warning is usually describing.
Tornado
A watch means conditions could produce a tornado. A warning means one has been seen or picked up on radar, and it applies to a specific area, not a whole state.
What a tornado alert means
Tornado Watch
conditions could produce one
Tornado Warning
one has been seen or detected. Take shelter
Saffir-Simpson scale
Cat 1
Cat 2
Cat 3
Cat 4
Cat 5
Category 3 and above is classified as a major hurricane.
Hurricane tracking
A landfalling hurricane often produces its own tornadoes, spun off from the storm’s outer rain bands. The hurricane tracking map shows the cyclone’s forecast path and category, so you can see the bigger system a tornado warning might be part of.
Tap the storm to see its Saffir-Simpson category and forecast path. It is the same map as on the hurricane tracking page.
Explore the hurricane tracking map
Live radar
A tornado warning is tied to a specific stormcell. Live weather radar shows that cell forming and moving in real time, on the same map as every other layer Hurricane tracks.
Play the radar timeline forward to see where the storm is heading, before the next warning is issued.
See what live weather radar shows
Precipitation intensity
Light
Moderate
Heavy
Tornado Warning
now
Dallas County, TX. Take shelter now, away from windows.
Hurricane Watch
12m ago
Miami-Dade County, FL. Hurricane conditions are possible.
How the National Weather Service ranks an event
Advisory
be aware
Watch
conditions are possible
Warning
happening, or about to
Severe weather alerts
A tornado warning is one alert among many. The same system covers hurricanes and tropical storms, severe thunderstorms, winter storms, wildfire danger, and air quality, for any place you save.
Severe weather alerts arrive the moment they are issued, sourced in the United States from NOAA and the National Weather Service.
See every alert type we cover
I truly appreciate having access to this information when I need it. I am responsible for two senior care homes and this weather tracker helps me stay informed and in control.
mvlgg
App Store
Nicely integrates multiple wether elements, radar returns, wind, frontal boundaries to give a dynamic presentation of weather
daytexas
App Store
This app works great, accurate forecast, easy to view and understand, wonderful instant weather viewing
Chinger12
App Store
What is the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning?
A tornado watch means conditions in the area can support tornadoes forming over the next several hours, but none has been confirmed yet. A tornado warning means a tornado has been spotted, or radar has detected the rotation that produces one, and that a tornado is occurring or imminent in the warned area. A watch means stay alert and ready; a warning means take shelter now.
What is a stormcell, and how is it different from a supercell?
A stormcell is a single thunderstorm that behaves as its own unit instead of arriving as part of a broad line of storms. A supercell is a stormcell whose updraft is rotating, and it is the storm structure most tornadoes come from. Hurricane’s Stormcells layer marks these rotating cells directly on the map.
Does a tornado warning always mean a tornado has touched down?
Not always. A warning can come from a visual report of a tornado, or from radar detecting rotation inside a stormcell before anyone on the ground has seen a funnel reach the surface. Either way, a warning means take shelter immediately; do not wait to confirm it yourself.
What shows on the map when a tornado alert is issued near a saved location?
An alert icon appears on the map next to that location, alongside the Stormcells and live weather radar layers, so you can see the storm behind the alert instead of only reading the notification text. Tap the icon for the full wording.
Where do the most tornadoes happen in the United States?
Two regions see the most tornado activity: Tornado Alley, running through Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska; and Dixie Alley, across Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. Hurricane tracks tornado watches and warnings for any location you save, inside these regions or outside them.
Can a hurricane or tropical storm produce tornadoes?
Yes. A tropical storm or hurricane making landfall can spawn tornadoes well inland from the coast, which is part of why Dixie Alley sees the activity it does. Hurricane tracks the tropical system on the hurricane tracking map and any tornado warnings it produces on the same map.
Get tornado warnings before the storm is overhead
Hurricane is free to download. Premium features are available in-app.