RadarNow! is designed to be fast, efficient and have great free and premium features.
Use RadarNow! when you need to see the weather picture without delay.
You'll be seeing National Weather Service Enhanced Radar "Base" (N0R) Images from the NOAA WSR-88D NEXRAD Radar Sites located around the US. The radar site displayed is the one closest to your location.
The 5 day trial gives you access to all the premium features at no cost or obligation. This is a one time deal with each device, and you get to select when you start the trial period.
Displays range rings around your location so you can get an idea of how far away storms are and how fast they are moving.
Configuration options
Check the status of your premium access anytime by looking at the "About" tab (menu-about).
When you activate Radar Now! Driver, your phone or tablet becomes a continuously updating, tracking radar display similar to what aircraft have on their instrument panel. Radar Now! Driver stays awake, moving the map with you as you travel around the country.
Your location icon, normally blue will turn red when "Driver mode" is active.Save and use locations of interest.
Premium status controlled using your Google account (Gmail address). When you become premium, any other Android device, including new ones, that use the same Google account will also go into premium mode. For your security, Google handles your premium access. If you have an issue with seeing premium on your device, please contact Google directly to resolve these issues.
Purchasing RadarNow! premium features is $6.99. Your premium access lasts for the life of RadarNow!.
To gain access to RadarNow!'s premium features, just select one of the premium icons or press Menu-Upgrade. You'll be asked if you'd like to upgrade. Select "Yes" to this question and select one of these methods to gain access.
Everyone will be granted a free five day trial of the premium features. This is a one time deal with each device, and you get to select when you start the trial period.
Premium access is available through the Google in-app purchase system. See the "Upgrade from Play Store" option for details.
Purchase access for $6.99 - This is a one time purchase that lasts for the life of RadarNow!. Google tracks premium by Google account so if you change your Google account, you will lose access to premium features and be required to purchase it again. If there are issues with your premium access or payment problems, Google is responsible for those features. Please contact them directly as they can resolve them for you.
Premium status tracking is performed using your Google account (Gmail address). All your Android device, including new ones, that use the same Google account will also go into premium mode. For your security, Google handles all details regarding your premium access. If you have difficulties after purchasing premium access, please contact Google directly to resolve them.
If you change your Google account, premium access will be lost and you'll have to purchase RadarNow! premium upgrade again to restore premium.
When the current conditions icon is selected the current conditions are displayed for the weather station closest to the center of the map. The map will move to show where exactly the weather station is located and a "weather bubble" will show with the current temperature.
To find the current conditions for your location, press the "my location icon to center the map on your location and then the Current Conditions icon to retrieve the weather information.
The forecast will be for where the map was centered prior to it moving to where the weather station is located.
Do a long press on the top line of the current conditions window to access more information about the actual station being displayed.
When the map is moved, the current conditions box stays synched to show the weather information from the center of the map. Note the crosshairs indicator.
When the map is released (lifting your finger off the map), it will move automatically to the actual location of the weather station reporting the weather conditions in the current conditions box.
View the forecast by tapping the "Forecast" title.
Tap the wind indicator to see a more detailed textual version of the wind conditions.
Tap the temperature to switch to Celsius scale.
Weather stations go up and down all the time, sometimes for maintenance, other times for equipment failure. We test the weather stations once a day (there are thousands of them) and take them out of the system if they are offline. An average of 10% of the weather stations are down at any one time.
If one or more readings are missing from the "current conditions" box, it's probably due to an instrument going down at that weather station. This could be from equipment failure or routine maintenance.
NOAA repairs the stations (or their contractors) fairly quickly. Usually a station that was down one day will be back in operation the next.
Two days (48) hours of hourly forecasts showing:
To view forecast, select current conditions, then tap the Forecast title.
Select any temperature oval to see current conditions with a forecast.
The Weather Detail screen shows all the information we have from a particular weather station or buoy for the last three reports.
Reach the "Weather Detail" page by going into the current conditons, then select the round green icon with three white dots.
Summary of features:
Important note: If you purchased your premium upgrade before 02/04/2015, you've purchased a subscription upgrade of one or two year lengths. We switched from a subscription premium model to a one time purchase model on that date. Purchasing the premium upgrade after this date (02/04/2015) is a one time charge that will last for the lifetime of RadarNow!.
If you've changed your Google account, and that Google account is missing from your list of accounts for this device, you'll also lose your RadarNow! premium access. In order to regain that premium access, please add your old Google account to this device, and download RadarNow! from Google Play using that Google account.
Since RadarNow! premium is tied to your Google account, all your Android devices using your Google account should show premium access in RadarNow!. If they don't, be sure that your Google account is added to that device and that RadarNow! has been downloaded through Google Play using the Google account you used to purchase premium access.
If you have questions about your premium access, please go to Google Wallet and retrieve your receipt for the purchase. It may be required when asking for support regarding your premium access. Please closely examine that receipt to be sure it is still in effect before contacting us. If you purchased your premium upgrade before 02/04/2015, you've purchased a subscription upgrade of one or two year lengths that may have expired.
To request support, please use the "Contact us" form in the options (menu-options, near the bottom) menu.
Use the "back" key to end RadarNow!.
RadarNow! starts by fixing your location with Google's Location API which uses Network services and/or GPS. You can choose to always use your last location by unchecking the option (menu-options) "Find me on startup." Be aware that using this option may cause NWS Alerts to be delivered for the wrong area.
The radar display starts with the NOAA WSR-88D NEXRAD Radar Site (station) located closest to your location overlaid on a map. You'll start to see the radar images being displayed as they are downloaded. Up to ten of the latest radar images will be displayed in a loop.
The map can be zoomed using pinch gestures or by using the Zoom buttons (+ and -) on the right hand side of the display.
Tapping the map in a spot where there are no controls will hide all the controls for a better view of the radar imagery. A message will display at the bottom of the screen when this is done. This message can be dismissed by selecting the "X." Tapping the screen again will return the controls.
As the map is panned, the radar display will switch from station to station depending on which is closest to the center of the screen. You may also lock a radar station by touching its green radar station icon. Once the display is locked to a station, it will remain selected until the coverage area is off the screen. Moving the coverage area off screen unlocks the station and returns the radar display to normal operation. Only one station can be active at time.
The radar display view mode (composite or local) can be switched from showing individual radar stations (local) to showing an overall view (composite) of all the radar station imagery. To switch from local to composite mode, use the left navigation bar (swipe from left side of screen or select the three horizontal bars icon at the top-left corner). Select the option to display composite radar. Select a radar station icon to switch back to displaying individual stations. Additionally, doing a long press on the zoom in (+) switches to local and a long press on the zoom out (-) switches to composite.
To determine if a radar return is possibly ground clutter (see the topic "Ground clutter" for more info), try selecting a neighboring station with overlapping coverage. If the returns show precipitation for more than one station, it most likely is real. If it doesn't show on the neighboring station, then it's most likely ground clutter or very light low level precipitation.
You can optionally display county and state boundaries as an overlay on top of the radar imagery. Go to the "Layers & Opacity" tab (menu-layers) and check the "County" checkbox to activate this feature.
A black radar station icon indicates the station is offline and unusable. Tapping the black icon will reveal the official status message, if one has been published by the NWS.
If you pan the map so that your location is no longer visible, using the menu option "Find me" will recenter the map on your location. This option will also turn on location services and find your current location.
Both portrait and landscape mode are supported. For free users, ads only appear in portrait mode.
Use a finger to pan, the plus icon to zoom in, the minus icon to zoom out. The zoom icons only show when they are available. If the minus icon isn't present, there is no further zoom out level. When the plus icon disappears, the maximum zoom has been reached.
You'll notice the progress bar across the top of the screen moves from left to right as the radar image loops. Pressing the play/pause icon will stop or restart the loop. You may also press on the progress bar itself to control the radar. Moving the progress indicator left and right will cause the radar image to go forward or backward in time.
Tapping the map will remove all the controls. Tapping the map again will bring them back. A message stating "Where did the map controls go" will be displayed the first time you try this feature. Pressing the "x" in that message will prevent that message from displaying again.
The radar loop will also pause when you pan or just touch the screen.
There are three icons across the top of the screen:
Radar Now! uses Google's Fused Location Provider which intelligently manages the underlying location technology and gives you the best location possible.
A progress bar will show how long RadarNow! will wait to find a location. When it runs out, RadarNow! will just take the last known location. This may not be the right one and may be far from your current location.
There is an option (menu-options) to stop RadarNow! from waiting for your location called "Find me on startup." Unchecking this option will cause RadarNow! to go directly to the map without waiting for the location system.
If you are having difficulties with our app finding your location, check the following:
If you're still having difficulty with finding your location or your location is inaccurate, you can try increasing the timeout for the location fix. To do this, select menu-options: Location timeout. The default is 15 seconds and you can increase it to 30 seconds. In addition, you can reduce the location timeout to 5 seconds once the wireless location network has worked out your location accurately.
Using RadarNow! without the location system enabled is possible by unchecking the "Find me on startup" option, then doing a long press on the map where you want RadarNow! to open at and select "Set as current". RadarNow! will remember this location until the "Find me" button is pressed or the "Find me on startup" option is re-enabled.
Radar Now! Driver keeps you current on weather as you drive. Whether across town or across the country, Radar Now! Driver shows you the storms coming your way.
When you activate Radar Now! Driver, your phone or tablet becomes a continuously updating, tracking radar display similar to what aircraft have on their instrument panel. Radar Now! Driver stays awake, moving the map with you as you travel around the country.
Your location icon, normally blue will turn red when "Driver mode" is active.
Radar Now! Driver will automatically switch to and use the closest radar station to your location.
Radar Now! Driver keeps your position centered, moving the map with you, no matter where you go in the continental US.
Select menu-Driver on. Once activated, your location icon changes color from blue to red. Deactivate Driver by selecting menu-Driver off.
This feature will use a considerable amount of battery due to the screen staying awake and the use of GPS. A car dock is recommended or use your car charger cable.
Radar Now! Driver configuration options
Used to determine how often your location will be updated. Options are from 1 second to 30 minutes. The more often your location is updated, the more battery will be used. If you have a car dock or power cable, then use a more frequent poll time. If you're running on battery alone, use a less frequent poll time.
If checked, RadarNow! will attempt to place your location close to the center of the map. If not checked then it RadarNow! will attempt to leave your location in the same place on the screen while moving the map.
If checked, "wireless networks" services will be used to calculate your location. Use this option if you're in mountainous or urban locations where GPS is difficult to acquire. It's less accurate than GPS but also uses less battery power.
If checked, "GPS Satellite" services will be used to calculate your location. Use this option if you can get a GPS lock easily and have sufficient battery power or are connected to external power. GPS is the most accurate method of computing location but consumes a lot of power.
National Weather Service Alerts are received by RadarNow! on startup. If there is polygon associated with the alert, it will show up on the map as an outline with the same color code as the alert. Dismissing the alert removes the polygon from the map as well.
The default is for all alerts to generate a silent notification. You can change this to fit your individual requirements by using the option (menu-options-NWS Alerts) "Action by event type" to customize how alerts are handled.
The "Default action" option sets the notification method for any event that hasn't had a specific action type set.
The alerts sent to your device are dependent on the county in which your device is currently located. If you used an override location, either through favorites or by entering a Zip Code, that will be the location used to determine what county to use for alerts.
When your location changes by about 10 miles, your county will be recomputed and if you've moved into a different county, any alerts that are currently active for that county will be sent to your device. Alerts for the county you just left will be removed from the list as well.
Please note: If you travel outside the county RadarNow! was last used in, start RadarNow! and do a "Force registration" option (menu-options, near the bottom). This will inform RadarNow!'s alert system of your new location.
The choices are:
The default action can be configured using the option (menu-options) with that name.
If there are active alerts for your area, and you've selected to receive that event type (see "Action by event type" in options menu), an icon will appear near the bottom of the sceen. The color of the icon depicts the most extreme active alert. Colors correspond to the color indicator on the alert list.
Selecting the Alert icon will open a list of active alerts.
Selecting an alert from the Alert List will display the options for this alert:
To stop all alerts, go to the "NWS Alert" section of the options menu (menu-options) and set the "Default action" to "Ignore." This will affect any alert event that hasn't had an override action enabled (see "Actions by event type").
Some NWS Alerts have an associated polygon (area) that will show up on the map as a boundary in the color of the alert.
Alert areas can be removed by from the map by dismissing the alert in the alert list.
To locate a NWS Alert polygon on the map:
Please check the following if not receiving alerts
Save and use locations of interest.
To use Favorites:
To use a "long press," touch the screen on one spot for at least one second. A dialog box with the favorites options will appear once the long press is detected.
RadarNow! no longer requires the "Write Storage External" permission to function (v7.1).
RadarNow! functions best with the "Fine Location" permission enabled.
During startup, RadarNow! checks to see that "Fine Location" is enabled. If not, then RadarNow! will open a dialog where you can grant "Fine Location" permission and then continue. "Fine Location" is an optional, yet recommended permission.
If the option "Never ask again" is selected in the permission granting dialog that pops up after the "grant" switch is touched, then RadarNow! cannot undo that selection. The only choice is to manually grant the permission through the device settings app.
The colors are the different echo intensities (reflectivity) measured in dBZ (decibels of Z) during each elevation scan. "Reflectivity" is the amount of transmitted power returned to the radar receiver. Reflectivity (designated by the letter Z) covers a wide range of signals (from very weak to very strong). So, a more convenient number for calculations and comparison, a decibel (or logarithmic) scale (dBZ), is used.
The dBZ values increase as the strength of the signal returned to the radar increases.
The scale of dBZ values is also related to the intensity of rainfall. Typically, light rain is occurring when the dBZ value reaches 20. The higher the dBZ, the stronger the rainrate. Depending on the type of weather occurring and the area of the U.S., forecasters use a set of rainrates which are associated to the dBZ values.
These values are estimates of the rainfall per hour, updated each volume scan, with rainfall accumulated over time. Hail is a good reflector of energy and will return very high dBZ values. Since hail can cause the rainfall estimates to be higher than what is actually occurring, steps are taken to prevent these high dBZ values from being converted to rainfall.
dBZ | Rainrate (in/hr) |
---|---|
65 | 16+ |
60 | 8.00 |
55 | 4.00 |
52 | 2.50 |
47 | 1.25 |
41 | 0.50 |
36 | 0.25 |
30 | 0.10 |
20 | Trace |
10 | Light |
<10 | Mist |
Echoes from surface targets appear in almost all radar reflectivity images. In the immediate area of the radar, "ground clutter" generally appears within a radius of 20 miles or so. This appears as a roughly circular region, bluish in color that doesn't move. It results from radio energy reflected back to the radar antenna from outside the central radar beam, from the earth's surface or buildings.
If there are other radar stations in your area, you can easily check to see if the echoes in the radar image are ground clutter or actual storms by selecting a nearby radar station and seeing how your area looks from another angle. If the echoes vanish, then most likely the returns were just clutter. If you still see some evidence of precipitation, then those echoes were real. This is huge advantage over other radar programs.
Clutter colors |
---|
Light |
Mist |
Clutter suppression
The launcher and Google Play Store installer are part of Android, your device manufacturer or carrier's specific Android OS version. As such, Android devices are subject to a wide variety of unusual behavior during installation and launching (starting up) apps.
We have no control or access to this part of Android. Any difficulties with this area of your device are issues that should be directed to your carrier or the Google Play Store support team.
Usually, there is a common fix to most of these problems.
These steps usually solve most problems with the Laucher or installation. If not, try this too:
If you still have problems with installation or launcher problems, please contact your carrier or the Google Play Store support team.
Please see this link for the What's new?.
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Last modified: July 1, 2020
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Please use the "Contact us" form inside RadarNow! (left menu-options-contact us) with questions, suggestions, ideas, or just want to let us know what you think of RadarNow!.
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