Android Weather App with *selective* notifications

September 17, 2020 8:27 AM

I'm looking for an android weather app for my phone -- willing to pay -- that will allow me to pick and choose among NWS severe weather notifications.

The basic problem is that I live near enough Lake Michigan that NWS thinks I am geographically interested in beach hazard statements (which are published every two hours!) and lakeshore floods, and there will be 6 or 8 of these notifications per day. (I am not interested; I'm not that close to the lake, and if for some reason I was going to the lake, I'd look it up that day.) I cannot turn them off in my current app (accuweather) and still get tornado/blizzard/thunderstorm notifications. This means I get 200 useless (but loud!) notifications for every 1 that actually pertains to me.

I had a similar problem in Peoria, where the river was in flood stage from January to June every year with severe weather notifications every 6 hours when the flood thingie updated readings. But there was at least one app I used that allowed me to pick and choose TYPES of severe weather notifications that I wanted. (And maybe even severity? Like I could say "no thunderstorm warnings, but yes thunderstorm watches"?)

So help me out and let me know what apps might prevent me from getting 12 daily notifications that there are WAVES on LAKE MICHIGAN.

posted by Eyebrows McGee to Technology (7 answers total)

NOAA Weather Radar Live & Alerts lets you select from among these notifications/warning boxes/alerts for selected locations:

- Lightning strikes
- Hurricane Tracker
- Precipitation
- Thunderstorms & Tornadoes
- Flood, Coastal, Marine
- Wind & Fire
- Hurricane & Tropical
- Winter, Snow, Freezing
- Other

After going through dozens of weather apps, this is one of the two I've kept.
posted by davcoo at 10:08 AM on September 17, 2020

Response by poster: " this is one of the two I've kept."

What's the other? So I know what you pair it with. :)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 10:19 AM on September 17, 2020

I just switched from accuweather to the Weather Channel app and really like it. You can customize notifications the same as above. If you let it, it puts a tiny temperature in the top part of your phone (forget what that’s called). You don’t have to update for current temp like accuweather, a plus when you’re as lazy as me.
posted by dianeF at 10:56 AM on September 17, 2020

Windy.com allows you to set up very specific alerting. There are free and paid options.

https://blog.windy.com/email-alert/
posted by sewellcm at 11:12 AM on September 17, 2020

> What's the other? So I know what you pair it with. :)

The other one is NOAA Weather Unofficial (Pro) by Granite Apps.
posted by davcoo at 12:10 PM on September 17, 2020

Eyebrows, I was just cruising weather apps this weekend for EXACTLY THE SAME REASON. I aint going to no beach, stop telling me about the lake!!!

I just downloaded the Weather Channel app and there does not appear to be a notification category for lakeshore/coastal assault :(

weather changes
government alerts
lightning
rain
fog
cold
heat
snow
wind
ice
thunderstorm
...

but no gosh dang beach hazard statements. womp womp.
posted by phunniemee at 2:50 PM on September 17, 2020 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Yes, unfortunately I tried these all and none of them let me exclude beach hazard statements! So frustrating!
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 2:10 PM on September 18, 2020