# Before It Strikes — Radar & lightning prediction

> Severe weather alerts and lightning prediction with real-time radar. (iPhone/iPad app by Cody Negri.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/before-it-strikes/id6783021228 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Cody Negri](https://appshunter.io/developer/428171414)
- Category: Weather
- Price: Free
- Rating: 5.00/5 from 6 App Store ratings · 3 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 35 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-07-10
- Data updated: 2026-08-08
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/before-it-strikes/id6783021228/reviews.md

## What is Before It Strikes?

Severe weather, before it happens.

You shouldn't find out about a storm when the first bolt hits. Before It Strikes watches the sky for you — pushing official National Weather Service warnings the instant they're issued, tracking storms headed your way, and counting down exactly when it's safe to go back outside.

Free. Nationwide. Built for anyone who has to make the call to head inside.

-Lightning safety countdown
When lightning strikes within 10 miles, a 30-minute timer starts — and resets with every nearby strike, just like the 30-30 rule the pros use. When it reaches zero, you're clear. It lives right on your Lock Screen and Apple Watch.

-Official NWS alerts, instantly
Tornado, severe thunderstorm, and flash-flood warnings straight from the National Weather Service — for home, the lake house, the kids' school, anywhere you save. With a live expiration countdown, plain-English guidance, and every affected county.

- Hi-res 3D radar
Crisp, smooth radar you can tilt into 3D and zoom to your own street. 150+ live radar sites, nationwide — pan to any storm in the country.

- Storm Center
One screen that reads the sky: a 1–5 threat level, live lightning rate, the nearest strike, the next-6-hour outlook, and local storm reports as they land.

- See it coming
A heads-up when a storm is overhead or heading your way — with tornado, wind, and hail threats in plain words, before the first bolt.

- On your wrist
The all-clear countdown mirrors to your Apple Watch as a glowing ring — a glance tells you whether it's safe to go back out.

- Follows you
Save every place you care about, or let it track wherever you are. Loud when it counts, silent when it doesn't.

No subscription. No paywall on safety. Every feature, free.

A note on safety
Official National Weather Service warnings are always the source of truth. Some features — such as lightning prediction and storm scoring — are experimental situational awareness and should never be used in place of official warnings or lightning-safety guidance. When in doubt, seek shelter.

## Key features

- Lightning safety countdown
- Official NWS alerts
- Hi-res 3D radar
- Storm Center overview
- Heads-up storm notifications
- Apple Watch integration

## Recent user reviews (3 of 3)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/before-it-strikes/id6783021228/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Great for athletic trainers!

*2026-07-20*

Being an athletic trainer who is responsible for the safety and wellbeing of athletes and coaches, this app is great!  It does a great job notifying me of potential & incoming storms and lightning strikes so I can plan ahead and get my athletes to safety. Great job so far with the app!

### 5/5 — Reliable and easy to use

*2026-07-14*

Easy to use, straightforward, and thoughtfully designed. Everything is simple to navigate, and the layout makes it easy to find the information you need. I was especially impressed with its accuracy. It gave us timely lightning alerts, allowing us to warn our coaches to stay on alert and prioritize safety. A great app for anyone who needs reliable weather awareness. Highly recommend

### 5/5 — Easy to read, enjoyable to look at, and has been really accurate so far!

*2026-07-11*

Very easy to use and to understand, the design is really clean and unlike other weather apps I’ve used, and it gives just the right about of information needed to keep you informed. Looking forward to using this app as all the storms come in.

## Frequently asked questions about Before It Strikes

### What is the main purpose of Before It Strikes?

Before It Strikes provides severe weather alerts and lightning prediction. It aims to inform users about storms before they happen, offering features like a lightning safety countdown and official National Weather Service warnings.

### Does Before It Strikes have ads?

No, Before It Strikes is ad-free. The app is completely free to use with no advertisements.

### What devices does Before It Strikes support?

Before It Strikes is available on Apple Watch, iPhone, and iPad. This allows users to receive weather information across multiple Apple devices.

### How does the lightning safety countdown work in Before It Strikes?

When lightning strikes within 10 miles, a 30-minute timer starts. This timer resets with every nearby strike, indicating when it is safe to go back outside. It is also available on the Lock Screen and Apple Watch.

### Are the weather alerts from Before It Strikes official?

Yes, Before It Strikes pushes official National Weather Service warnings instantly. These include tornado, severe thunderstorm, and flash-flood alerts for any saved location.

### What is the age rating for Before It Strikes?

Before It Strikes has an age rating of 4+. This indicates it is suitable for a wide range of users, including children.

### How often is Before It Strikes updated?

The latest version of Before It Strikes is 1.1, which was last updated on July 17, 2026. This suggests a relatively recent update, indicating ongoing development and support.

### Can I track storms anywhere with Before It Strikes?

Yes, Before It Strikes allows you to save multiple locations or let it track your current location. You can also pan the hi-res 3D radar nationwide to view any storm in the country.

## Version history (last 4 releases)

### 1.4 — 2026-08-04

New in this version:
• Detailed current conditions — temperature, feels-like, humidity, dew point, wind with a live compass, pressure, and visibility.
• Field & Work Safety — a heat-stress reading (WBGT), a wind-chill cold-stress reading, and a wind-at-height guide, built for athletic trainers, athletic directors, and outdoor crews.
• Pet Safety — a simple Safe, Caution, or Unsafe call from heat, cold, and nearby lightning, a hot-pavement paw-burn warning, and the best time to walk based on the forecast.
• Hourly and 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service, with dangerously hot and cold stretches clearly flagged.
• Your hourly forecast now appears right on the home screen.
• Tap the blue lightning-watch area on the map to learn what it means and what to do.
• A cleaner, faster command-center design, an option to turn the radar sweep on or off, and more accurate storm wind details.

### 1.3 — 2026-07-31

- Introducing Before It Strikes Pro. Our new subscription brings the most precise lightning safety we offer: sub-kilometer, ground-based strike detection, forecasted all-clear times, bolt-from-the-blue alerts for strikes in clear sky, and charging-cloud awareness before the first flash.
- Meet Bolt, your AI safety assistant (Pro). Ask what to do, when it'll clear, or what's coming in the next few hours — and get a plain-language answer grounded in your live conditions and the HRRR forecast. Bolt explains your situation; it never replaces the official safety call.
- In-app Lightning Safety Guide. Official CISA/NOAA guidance — when to shelter, where's safe, and when it's truly all clear — in a clean, visual layout.
- Sharper precise lightning (Pro). Recent strikes now show across your full safety area, and the app clearly separates lightning we're measuring right now from lightning that's forecast.
- Redesigned Risk View. A live status badge that shifts color with your situation — Shelter, Monitor, All Clear — all three safety rings on by default (with a toggle), and one-tap access to Bolt and the safety guide.
- Better future radar. Clearer "HRRR Forecast Model" labeling and smoother scrubbing through the forecast timeline.
- Faster alerts and live updates. Lightning changes reach you more quickly, and the map updates more smoothly during active storms.

### 1.1 — 2026-07-17

• Lightning strikes on the map — strikes from the last 30 minutes appear
  within 20 miles of your location. Tap any strike to see how far away
  it hit and when.

• Nationwide radar — zoom out for a seamless national view. If your local
  radar site goes offline or stale, the map falls back to it automatically
  instead of showing you an old scan.

• Redesigned conditions bar — a lot more radar on screen, with feels-like
  temperature up front. A colored border appears when a warning or watch
  covers your location.

• Better storm details — a chance-of-severe meter, clearer hazard
  readouts, and wind gusts that use the National Weather Service's own
  forecast gust whenever your storm is under a warning.

• The 10-mile ring is now on by default, and follows the crosshair when
  you pan the map.

• You can now replay the intro tour any time from Settings.

### 1.0 — 2026-07-11

No release notes.

## Related topics

[becure](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/becure)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-08.*
