Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath is a free, ad-free Android app that maps live tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings from the National Weather Service, with radar, Storm Prediction Center outlooks and a tornado archive. Its headline feature, alerts by phone call, text and email, is part of Pro at $39.99 a year or $149.99 for life.
Quick verdict
If you live in tornado country, chase storms or keep an eye on family elsewhere, this app puts official warning polygons, radar and outlooks in one place, and several reviewers say it helped them get to safety or check on loved ones. It’s new (first released in March 2026) and has a small but very positive rating: 4.8 stars from 698 ratings. The main complaint is that the call and text alerts cost money. The listing itself says the app “Complements, not replaces, primary warning systems”, so don’t rely on a single app for severe weather warnings; keep official alerts and a NOAA Weather Radio as backup.
Tornado Tracker at a glance
| Developer | Ridge Labs LLC |
|---|---|
| Store listing | Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath on Google Play |
| Price | Free; Pro is $39.99 a year or $149.99 lifetime (in-app purchases $9.99 to $149.99 per item) |
| Ads | None |
| Play Store rating | 4.8 stars from 698 ratings (90% are 5-star) |
| Downloads | 50,000+ |
| Version / last updated | 5.1.7 / August 11, 2026 |
| Requires | Not in our data |
| First released | March 30, 2026 |
| Data checked | October 25, 2026 |
What is Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath?
It’s a severe-weather tracker focused on tornadoes in the United States. The listing says it tracks active warnings in all 50 states with their polygon boundaries, affected population and counties, and shows tornado watches, severe thunderstorm warnings and special marine warnings. Its data comes from the National Weather Service, the Storm Prediction Center and the NOAA Storm Events Database. The developer, Ridge Labs LLC, describes itself in replies as a solo developer.
Key features
- Live warnings: real-time tornado warnings across all 50 states, with polygons on the map, affected population and county data, and daily summaries.
- Severe weather alerts: tornado watches, severe thunderstorm warnings and special marine warnings, filterable by type, state and time.
- Maps: live radar, auto-zoom to warnings, active or expired alerts, and four map styles (Standard, Minimal, Dark, Terrain).
- Pro map layers: high-resolution MRMS radar, forecast radar, echo tops, satellite, precipitation, storm cells with rotation and hail detection, base reflectivity and velocity.
- Tornado archive: 85,000+ historical records since 1680, browsable by state and county, with charts and casualty statistics.
- SPC outlooks: Day 1 to Day 3 tornado outlooks with tornado, wind and hail probability maps.
- Learn tab: seven plain-English guides, from watch vs. warning to tornado safety.
- Pro alerts: phone calls when tornado warnings, watches and severe thunderstorm warnings are issued, texts with warning details and email bulletins with full NWS statements, for up to 5 locations and 2 phone numbers.
Tornado Tracker vs. what a weather app should have
Our checklist is written for general weather apps. This one is a tornado and severe-storm tracker, so most forecast rows are “Not listed”. “Listed” means the Google Play listing names the feature, and “Partial” means it covers part of it.
Must have
| Feature | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Current conditions and feels-like | Not listed | |
| Hourly forecast | Not listed | |
| Daily forecast (7+ days) | Not listed | SPC outlooks cover Day 1 to Day 3 tornado risk. |
| Chance of precipitation | Not listed | A precipitation overlay is a Pro layer. |
| Wind, humidity, UV index | Not listed | |
| Severe weather alerts | Listed | Tornado, severe thunderstorm and marine warnings. Call, text and email alerts need Pro. |
| Radar map | Listed | Live radar free; higher-resolution layers in Pro. |
| Home-screen widgets | Not listed | |
| Current location and search | Partial | Saved locations and an optional location display. A developer reply says alerts are US only. |
| Unit options (°F/°C) | Not listed |
Should have
| Feature | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Notification or lock-screen weather | Not listed | |
| Air quality | Not listed | |
| Multiple saved locations | Listed | Up to 5 with Pro alerts. |
| Choice of data source | Not listed | NWS, SPC and NOAA data. |
| Layout customization | Partial | Four map styles. |
| Light and dark themes | Listed | Light, Dark or follow the system. |
| Sunrise, sunset, moon phase | Not listed | |
| Multiple languages | Not listed |
Nice to have
| Feature | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Animated wind or global map | Not listed | A forecast radar layer is part of Pro. |
| Side-by-side provider comparison | Not listed | |
| Photography times (golden/blue hour) | Not listed | |
| Weather photos | Not listed | |
| Pollen | Not listed | |
| Lightning strike information | Not listed | |
| Custom temperature alerts | Not listed | |
| Rain-incoming notifications | Not listed | |
| Written forecast summary | Partial | Daily activity summaries and SPC outlooks; Pro emails include full NWS statements. |
Warnings, radar and saved locations are listed. For a daily forecast, pair it with a regular weather app.
Common problems and fixes
Low ratings are rare here: 1- to 3-star ratings make up 3.6% of all ratings. The developer replied to almost every review in our sample, and the replies are dated.
| Problem | What reviewers report | What the developer’s replies say |
|---|---|---|
| Stuck on the intro screens | A few reviewers, April 2026, got stuck on the intro screens; two say a “Scroll to continue” button stayed inactive. | Fixed (May 2026). |
| No warnings shown during a real warning | One reviewer, July 2026, saw “No active tornado warnings” on the TornadoPath website while sirens were sounding, then a “Services are not responding” banner. | Most likely a spotty internet connection that the app and website didn’t handle well. You’ll now see a clear banner as soon as your device loses internet or the service has an outage (July 2026). |
| Not sure what the map symbols mean | One reviewer, June 2026. | The dots are 10, 20 and 30 minute projections of where the storm is heading; a map key was going into the Learn tab (June 2026). |
| Warnings don’t show an EF rating | One reviewer, June 2026. | The NWS assigns EF ratings only after surveying the damage, so they can’t be shown live (June 2026). |
| Asked for a rating before using the app | One reviewer, October 2026. | The prompt is meant to appear on the second app open (October 2026). |
| Alerts outside the US | One reviewer in the Philippines, August 2026. | Alerts are US only (August 2026). |
Pros (from user reviews)
- Safety: several reviewers say it helps them stay safe or helped them during a warning. One says their son used it to warn the family to take shelter, another that it was a life saver when the power and TV went out, and one says it saved their life in Indiana. On the other side, one reviewer in July 2026 saw “No active tornado warnings” on the TornadoPath website during an active warning (see Common problems), and another calls it better as a historical reference than a real-time tool.
- Checking on family: a few reviewers use it to check on family or other people who don’t live near them.
- Accurate: a few reviewers call it accurate or reliable, and one says it warns them “before Google updates”.
- Storm chasing: several reviewers use it for storm chasing.
- Radar and detail: a few reviewers praise the radar layers and the amount of detail.
- Free and ad-free: a few reviewers like the free version or the lack of ads, one calling it “Nice app, even unpaid”.
Cons (from user reviews)
- Alerts cost money: a few reviewers object to paying for call, text or warning alerts, or find $39.99 a year or $149.99 lifetime too much. The developer replied that hosting, the database, maintenance and the calls, texts and emails cost several thousand dollars a month, and that about 97% of users use the app free. One reviewer, by contrast, says the free version gives warnings without paying.
- Setup bug: a few reviewers in April 2026 couldn’t get past the intro screens; the developer says it was fixed in May.
- Learning curve: a few reviewers found it confusing or wanted a map key. The developer points to the Learn tab.
Rating breakdown
| Stars | Ratings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 627 | 90.9% |
| 4 | 38 | 5.5% |
| 3 | 6 | 0.9% |
| 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 1 | 19 | 2.8% |
Source: Google Play ratings histogram, checked October 25, 2026. The histogram adds up to 690 ratings, 8 fewer than the 698 total, and the shares are of the histogram total.
Pricing
Tornado Tracker is free and has no ads. Pro costs $39.99 a year or $149.99 for life, per the listing, and our data lists in-app purchases from $9.99 to $149.99. Pro adds the phone call, text and email alerts (up to 5 locations and 2 phone numbers) and the extra map layers such as HD radar, forecast radar, satellite, storm cells and velocity. The developer’s replies say about 97% of users use the app free and that the paying users keep the app running.
Privacy and permissions
We couldn’t read the Google Play data safety section for this app, so we make no claim about what it declares there. The listing links to a privacy policy at tornadopath.com and says location display on the map is optional. A developer reply says your address is used mainly for alerts.
The Play Store’s permissions list shows: Google Play license check, approximate location (network-based), control vibration, draw over other apps, full network access, modify or delete the contents of your USB storage, precise location (GPS and network-based), read Google service configuration, read the contents of your USB storage, view Wi-Fi connections, and view network connections.
Who it’s for
This app suits you if you live in a tornado-prone part of the US, chase storms, or want to watch warnings near family elsewhere. Pro is worth a look if you want a phone call when a warning is issued for a saved location. It’s a weaker fit if you want a general forecast app, live outside the US, or want call and text alerts for free. Whatever you use, keep official alerts on and treat this as an extra layer, as the listing itself advises.
FAQ
Is Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath free?
Yes, it’s free and ad-free, with live warnings, radar, outlooks and the archive. Pro costs $39.99 a year or $149.99 lifetime and adds phone call, text and email alerts plus extra radar layers.
Can Tornado Tracker call me when there’s a tornado warning?
Yes, with Pro. The listing says Pro places phone calls for tornado warnings, watches and severe thunderstorms, sends texts and emails, and covers up to 5 locations and 2 phone numbers. One reviewer confirms “they actually call you”.
Can I rely on Tornado Tracker alone for warnings?
No. The listing says it “Complements, not replaces, primary warning systems” and recommends NOAA Weather Radio as a backup. One reviewer saw no warnings on the TornadoPath website during an active warning in July 2026; the developer put it down to a lost connection and says you’ll now see a clear banner when that happens.
Does Tornado Tracker work outside the United States?
A developer reply from August 2026 says alerts are US only, and the listing describes tracking warnings across all 50 states from US agencies (NWS, SPC and NOAA).
How this review was put together
We haven’t tested Tornado Tracker by TornadoPath. This review is based on public information from official sources: the app’s Google Play or App Store listing and rating breakdown, the developer’s website when there is one, and recent user reviews on the store with the developer’s replies. Features and claims are the developer’s own descriptions; what users like and dislike comes from the store reviews. Everything was checked on October 25, 2026. Apps change with every update, so check the store listing before you install.
