In the midst of severe weather season, you should always remain weather aware, but with the boom of technology, it may seem there is too much to choose from.
Meteorologist Rusty Dawkins tells KLIN News weather alert radios are your best option but if you’re away from home, there’s an app for that.
“Severe channel apps, ACCU Weather, Weather Bug, Weather Underground – they’re all the same,” Dawkins says. “They can be set up to alert you should severe weather happen in your area whether it’s winter or severe or flooding or whatever it is. They’re all basically the same.”
Dawkins says weather alert radios are county-specific, but he added you should listen and watch your local media for the most up-to-date coverage.
He suggested apps called ‘Weather Radio’ and ‘Radar Scope’ as reliable, but they cost money.
A popular summertime conversation is usually about the weather leading to a surge in app and website development for people to go get their information.
“App developers know this. Website developers know this. There are a ton out there. They’ve gotten better too. The timing from when something happens to when it shows up on your phone is almost instantaneous.”
The popularity grows even larger when looking at social media where Dawkins reminds you that not everyone can be trusted.
“Know who you’re following for weather information because there’s so many different Facebook pages and Twitter accounts and things like that so they can scare you so they get likes or shares. Don’t follow those people.”
Dawkins says most, if not all, T-V meteorologists have professional accounts you can trust.
But again, the most trustworthy piece of technology is a weather alert radio.