Red Cross developed a tornado app for the Android and the iPhone. I haven't downloaded it. It seems to warn you of an incoming tornado, tells you where the tornado shelters are, and there is some sort of all clear function for you to notify your friends that you're safe.

http://www.redcross.org/mobile-apps/tornado-app

And for those unexpected surprise tornados, the app keeps the mic open so it can detect that "incoming train" sound and still give you 3.7 nanoseconds warning. Included with the app is a leash to strap the phone to your wrist in case it gets rough and things start flying around in the wind.

The app sounds like a weather radio for your phone. Not a bad idea for some people/areas I guess. But I have found around here that alerting weather radios are a horrible annoyance, they go off for every little thing, sometimes counties away.

Get a weather radio with SAME capability and programmable options. I set mine to go off on only a small varieties of warnings in my county.

Good find! Thanks. Agree about the SAME technology in weather radio. My radio only goes off for relevant warnings to me.

I'll have to investigate this "SAME" technology. Our current weather radio goes off here in Colorado when the clouds start to build in New Jersey. Very annoying.

I have the "Pro Weather Alert" for Android.

What it alerts are completely customizable.. everything from tones, vibrate, location, type, severity you name it. It's very good and seems to be very stable.

Living in Tornado Territory, I've made educated my family that if they ever hear my phone making "This noise", get to the basement.

Of course, there's the regular limitations of it's a cell phone, cell phone towers, etc.. etc.. but the app itself is intelligently designed, and it's a whole $1.99.

Rod

Won't an app that generates a tornado from a phone really eat up the battery life? That's a lot of energy to sustain...!