There are numerous apps and websites available on the Internet to get accurate weather radar data. However, many require a fee, either to purchase the app or to subscribe to the radar data itself. While most of these paid options will give you real-time live radar data, a few free radar websites and apps offer user-friendly radar imagery with minimal delay.
Why is a minimal delay so vital? In the summer months, thunderstorms can both form and move quite quickly. In the winter months, having up to the minute radar data can keep you safe during winter storms. Weather radar websites and apps that don’t update their radar data in a timely fashion put you at risk, especially if you’re outdoors.
Here Are the Best Weather Radar Websites and Apps
We’ve assembled a list of the seven best weather radar websites and apps for 2023. All of them are both free to download and use. At the end, we’ve also included our recommendations of top paid weather radar apps if you need the best radar data available with the least amount of delay because even the top free apps will delay radar data by five or so minutes.
1. National Weather Service
Website: https://radar.weather.gov
We couldn’t start this list without going right to the source. The National Weather Service offers radar data free from its website and is relatively easy to use, and the site was recently updated, making it easier to use than before. A new user interface allows users to zoom in and out easily, and it’s usable on both desktops and mobile phones. You can view animations and view other radar products that show wind velocity and rainfall as well. The site also layers warning boxes over the imagery so you can see which storms have severe warnings.
Despite the drastically improved interface, many of the old negatives remain. The radar resolution is still a bit grainy, and it isn’t as quick to update as some other apps. There’s still no app either, but that’s due to a non-compete clause with the private industry in Federal law. So you won’t get notifications of severe weather for your area.
Pros
- Offers a full suite of radar products for free
- Much improved user interface which is easy to navigate on a mobile device
Cons
- Resolution is grainy
2. The Weather Channel
Website:
https://weather.com/maps/usdopplerradar
App:
Android / iOS
The Weather Channel’s app continues to be one of our top radar apps for 2023, and in our opinion, it’s the best actual mobile weather app. According to Forecast Advisor, The Weather Channel is consistently rated as the most accurate weather app for many cities across the country.
Although it’s a more general weather app, there are some great radar features that we think are worth mentioning. Zooming in and out of imagery is fluid, and the satellite map used allows you to zoom down to street level. It also has an innovative future radar option, which attempts to forecast future storm movement up to six hours in advance using the company’s proprietary short-range modeling.
If we had to pick a negative with this one, it’s that the app smooths radar imagery too much to make it look nice on the screen. In turn, this may cause some inaccuracy in the data, especially when zoomed in. However, the smoothing is addressed in a premium radar option, which offers higher resolution imagery and the previously mentioned forecast radar imagery.
Pros
- Well-designed user interface
- Access to The Weather Channel’s news and video coverage
Cons
- Free radar version smooths out radar too much
- You have to pay for higher quality radar images
3. Windy
Website:
https://www.windy.com
App:
Android / iOS
For outdoor enthusiasts that might require a more comprehensive look at the weather—especially boaters and pilots—Windy is a great option. In addition to radar, it overlays wind data information in a fluid and visually appealing way. You can layer all kinds of things on top, from precipitation to cloud cover, and even browse through weather model data.
While there’s a lot to like about Windy, the radar data is often five or more minutes old. It also might be a bit too complex for the average user to understand, so we’d recommend some of the other weather websites and apps if you’re looking for something easy to use.
Pros
- Visually appealing maps
- Lots of weather data options
Cons
- Weather radar data is often 5+ minutes old
- Has a learning curve
4. AccuWeather
Website:
https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/national/weather-radar
App:
Android / iOS
AccuWeather is another app that does a whole lot more than just radar. Along with radar, you also have access to AccuWeather’s 15-day forecasts, precipitation outlooks with the percentage of rain, and a host of other weather data. The radar also has a future radar option, but unlike the Weather Channel’s, it only goes out three hours in advance. Zooming in and out is easy too.
While it doesn’t smooth the radar images to the degree The Weather Channel’s app does, it is still enough that it may cause some inaccuracy. The user interface is not as intuitive as others on our list, but in terms of the amount of data available, it is one of the more feature-rich.
Pros
- Access to AccuWeather content
- Lots of data options
Cons
- Radar images aren’t the best resolution
- Future radar only goes out 3 hours
5. Weather Underground
Website:
https://www.wunderground.com/weather-radar/
App:
Android / iOS
The Weather Underground is an excellent app if you’re looking for both radar information and hyperlocal weather conditions. The site has the most extensive collection of personal weather stations in the world, and this data is put on the map with the radar giving you a much more comprehensive picture of what’s going on at a particular location.
However, if current weather observations aren’t vital to you, then the added information might get in the way. Also, after being bought by The Weather Channel several years back, its functionality is not much different than The Weather Channel’s app. We feel that unless you need the hyperlocal conditions that Weather Underground provides, opt for The Weather Channel app instead.
Pros
- Offers hyperlocal weather conditions
- Lots of information from its extensive PWS network
Cons
- Not much different than The Weather Channel App
- Radar images are smoothed, just like the free Weather Channel app
6. WeatherBug
Website:
https://www.weatherbug.com/maps/
App:
Android / iOS
Although it doesn’t have nearly the reputation it had a decade ago, WeatherBug is still around and still offering hyperlocal current weather conditions on its website thanks to its network of weather stations situated at homes, schools, television stations, and other locations throughout the world. The company also has an app, with good weather and lightning data, all for free.
While its visual maps for all kinds of weather data are pretty impressive, like the two apps above, it smooths out radar images. Again, not to the degree, The Weather Channel does in its free app, but enough. We recommend sticking with the free version—the paid version is $19.99 and takes away the ads.
Pros
- Lots of high-quality weather information
- Lightning data is included
Cons
- Radar image quality could be better
- $19.99 for an ad-free version with no additional functionality
7. NOAA Weather Radar Live
NOAA Weather Radar Live used to be one of our top recommendations because it was so well-designed, and it offered plenty of free data. However, that’s changed. App users have reported that the amount of free data has shrunk, with a premium subscription necessary to use most of the app without annoying subscription popups. That’s a shame, considering how good the app is.
Radar imagery with NOAA Weather Radar Live is sharp, and during the winter, precipitation type is overlaid so you can spot where it’s raining and where it’s snowing. Also available are precipitation and satellite data, and you can view forecast data for any location on the map. But there’s no severe weather alerts or lightning data, the former a strange thing to require premium access to obtain. We’ll keep them on our list, but we may need to look elsewhere next year if they don’t listen to their users.
Pros
- Well designed app
Cons
- You have to pay for severe weather alerts and lightning data, which is available free with other apps
- Significant decrease in the amount of free data available
- Frequent subscription popups
Our Top Paid App Pick: RadarScope
Website:
https://www.radarscope.app
App:
Android / iOS
If none of the above weather apps have what you’re looking for, and you’re willing to spend money on a quality professional weather radar app or website that storm chasers use, hands down our top recommendation is RadarScope. Available on Android and iOS for $9.99 and Windows or Mac for $29.99, this app is one of the quickest updating around.
You have access to every single radar product that the pros do, at practically the same time they see them—along with up to the minute warning information. Stepping up to the Pro Tier 1 subscription for $9.99 per year gets you longer animations and lightning data (a must for outdoor enthusiasts), dual pane capability, and inspection tools. While the top end Tier 2 package adds in hail and shear contouring (the latter necessary for tornado formation), as well as multi-platform use and a 30-day radar archive.
But even for just $9.99 for the app alone without the tiered options, the standard data is fantastic.
Pros
- It’s the absolute best radar app out there, period.
- Little if any delay in radar imagery
Cons
- You need the $9.99/year Tier 1 plan to get the most out of the app
Runner Up Paid Pick: Dark Sky
Website:
https://darksky.net
App:
iOS
This app was so good that Apple acquired it. The app was previously available for Android and iOS, but it’s now only available to Apple users after the acquisition. While its functionality is slowly being integrated into the iOS weather app, it remains a separate app for the time being.
Dark Sky is famous for its down-to-the-minute weather forecast, which lets you know exactly what’s going to happen and when. We’ve tried it out—the app is impressively good for short-term forecasts. The weather animations are seamless and polished. While there’s a reasonable degree of smoothing (a feature we’d wish Apple would allow us to change) and the radar color scheme used is a little unusual, this is still a great all-around premium weather app.
Pros
- Impressive accuracy with its forecasts
- Seamless animations
Cons
- There’s a good deal of smoothing in the imagery
- Non-traditional radar color scheme that you can’t turn off
Final Thoughts
Whatever option you choose, any of the weather radar websites and apps above will keep you informed in the event severe weather strikes. If we didn’t include your favorite weather radar app, let us know in the comments below. We’d love to hear what apps and websites you depend on to keep you out of harm’s way.
I’ve been using the National Weather Service for many years, especially for their radar time loop displays. Lately I’ve been running into road-blocks related to their use of Adobe Flash Player for the animation – Flash is now blocked by default (Chrome browser) requiring that I enable it each time I turn on my PC. Research reveals that Adobe will abandon support for Flash in 2020 and this annoyance is a deliberate attention-getting precursor to that event. Do you know if the National Weather Service has any plans to migrate to a Flash Player alternative for their animations? Apparently the modern versions of HTML have capabilities that rendering Flash unnecessary and hence its impending End of Life. It seems the answer is for the National Weather Service to upgrade their web page HTML. Your thoughts please. Feel free to respond via my email address.
I have been a flag waver for WU for years but it has taken a nosedive over last 12-15 mos. It is now slow to log on, my favorite weather station cannot be saved and I have been having lots of problems using NEXRAD radar. When I tried to highlight a specific area (outline, zoom with mouse) I am getting areas hundreds of miles away more often than not. Emails to WU are acknowledged but seldom answered. I feel like I have lost an old friend.
I have been enjoying Weather Bug for years. I try other apps but always come back to Weather Bug. Disappointed I didn’t see it listed.
I use windows on my computer with a 32 inch monitor. Intellicast used to be great until Weather underground appeared and now it is useless. I do not own a “smart phone” and have little use for most of the apps so that is not an option.
Nothing touches what Intellicast provided. I keep searching but, so far, to no avail.
Intellicast was my favorite, too, but when it was bought out by Weather Underground, somehow they managed to miss the ease and speed of loading, and moved it to a more finicky system. I hope someday someone puts out something as good as Intellicast.
Thanks for the nice list! I’m flabbergasted that you could’ve missed the MyRadar app — by far, my favorite app, for real-time weather radar, when I’m out and about, or just wondering what’s heading my way at home. I love the recently added lightning flashes, but also the layers for winds, temperatures, clouds, warnings & watches, outlook areas, fronts. They even have hotspot depiction for earthquakes and wildfires. It’s free and highly useful as is, but they do have some handy in-app purchases. I use the hurricane tracker to see if my family in Florida is threatened. I use the aviation layers as preliminary part of flight planning. It even has weather warning notifications. The one thing they’re weak on, is portraying vectors showing the direction and speed that storm cells are moving, like the recently retired Storm app, but the radar motion gives you a sense of that, anyway.