Hyper-Local Severe Weather, Built by One Developer

RainBot

Professional-grade severe weather tracking for everyone — from backyard skywatchers to active storm chasers. Real-time NEXRAD radar, NWS alerts, and community storm reports.

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The Story

From a Text Message to a Storm-Tracking App

RainBot is built and maintained by one person — me, Cody — in the hours between a full-time job and the next storm rolling through.

RainBot didn't start as an app. It started as a simple SMS alert system I built for myself and a few friends — a little script that would text us when severe weather was rolling toward our towns. No flashy interface, no app store, just a phone buzzing in your pocket when something big was on the way.

Over time, the asks kept growing. People wanted to see the storm, not just hear about it. They wanted radar. They wanted to know when it would arrive. They wanted to know if their kid's soccer game was going to get cancelled. So I rebuilt it as a real app — one I'd actually want to use myself.

"The big weather apps were either too watered-down for serious users, or so packed with ads and paywalls that the data took a backseat. I wanted something that respected your time, your screen, and your safety."

Today, RainBot is designed to scale with you. If you just want to know whether to grab an umbrella, the dashboard tells you in plain English. If you're a chaser tracking a supercell across three counties, the radar gives you multi-station velocity, storm path prediction, hail markers, and lightning — the same data the pros are looking at.

I work on RainBot in the evenings, on weekends, and during lunch breaks. Every feature you see was built because I (or someone using the app) actually needed it. There's no investor pushing a subscription model. No ad network deciding which storms get featured. Just a developer who loves weather, building tools for people who feel the same way.

What Makes RainBot Different

Built around the data, not around the ads.

Zero Ads, Ever

No banners. No pop-ups. No "watch this video to unlock radar." When severe weather hits, the last thing you need is an interstitial ad standing between you and a tornado warning.

Real Meteorology, Not Watered Down

Multi-station velocity, mesocyclone detection, SPC outlooks, dew point overlays, echo tops — the same products meteorologists and chasers rely on, exposed in a clean mobile UI.

Hyper-Local by Default

Set your tracking radius and only get alerted for what's actually heading at you. No statewide spam. No alerts for storms 200 miles away.

Direct from the National Weather Service

All alerts come straight from the NWS — no third-party rebroadcasters, no delay, no editorializing. The same source the sirens use.

Built by Someone Who Uses It

I'm the developer, the designer, the storm watcher, and the support team. If something feels off, you can email me directly and I'll actually respond.

Community-Powered Reports

Waze-style community storm reports let real people on the ground confirm what the radar can only suggest — hail size, flooding, wind damage, funnel sightings.

Pay Once, Own It Forever

Free during the beta, then a one-time $2.99 on the App Store. No subscriptions, no in-app purchases, no ads — ever. Every future update included.

Everything You Need to Stay Weather-Ready

From tornado warnings to lake ice coverage, RainBot puts serious meteorological tools in your pocket.

Multi-Station NEXRAD Radar

Live radar from all four Michigan stations (DTX, GRR, APX, MQT) with animated playback and advanced products.

Hyper-Local Alerts

Configurable radius monitoring (10-25 mi) for tornado, hail, wind, and rain threats with real-time NWS data.

Great Lakes Data

Water temperature and ice coverage overlays for all five Great Lakes, powered by NOAA GLERL research data.

Community Reports

Submit and confirm real-time weather sightings Waze-style. Report hail, flooding, wind damage, funnel clouds, and more.

Professional Dashboard

7 meteorological widgets including wind compass, pressure trends, SPC outlook, hourly precipitation timeline, and threat countdown.

Pinned Locations

Save up to 3 locations with full weather detail. Search by address or drop a pin anywhere on the map.

Advanced Radar Products

Professional radar layers that go far beyond basic reflectivity.

Base Reflectivity
Storm-Relative Velocity
Echo Tops
Storm Path Prediction
Lightning Activity
Precipitation Type
Dew Point Visualization
💙

Thank You.

Seriously. Truly. From the bottom of my heart.

Every download, every alert that reached someone in time, every bug report, every "hey this app helped me" message — it all matters more than you know. You're the reason this gets built between work meetings, late at night, and during severe weather outbreaks when I'm refreshing my own app to see if it's working.

RainBot exists because of you. Stay safe out there.

— Cody