Some of the built-in apps on your iPhone can become so familiar that you often forget they can do more than the basics. Such is the case with Apple’s Weather app, which has matured over the years from a simple forecasting app to an essential tool if the weather around you starts to turn particularly bad.
I was reminded of this last week when my corner of California was hit by what is known as an “atmospheric river.” This is a fancy meteorological term for “a lot of rain that happens almost continuously,” and it can lead to things like landslides, downed trees, and even flooding in some areas.
Indeed, in the midst of all that rain… um, atmospheric rivers, the Weather app on my iPhone sprang to life with numerous alerts. One that particularly caught my eye included a warning for potential flooding near me, and there was even a link to a relevant story on the News app about all the rain that hit the area.
I cannot stress enough how valuable such information can be. It’s one thing to look at a weather app and know you better pack an umbrella; it’s quite another to be warned of potential danger spots if you brave the wind and rain.
So, yes, it’s an example of the iPhone’s Weather app surpassing its marching orders to inform you of current conditions and perhaps what to expect in the days to come. If you want to make sure that the Weather app built into your iPhone provides that extra functionality, there are a few steps you can take.
Make sure you get severe weather alerts in the Weather app for iOS 17
You may need to make minor changes to the Weather app to ensure that severe weather warnings are automatically displayed on the screens of the relevant cities in the Weather app. You might occasionally see prompts to turn on alerts on those screens themselves, but I find the easiest way to manage alerts is to go to the Weather screen, which lists all the cities you’re tracking.
1. Go to the Weather screen
(Image: © Future)
To get to that screen, tap the list icon in the lower right corner of any city screen. Near the top of the weather forecast screen, you’ll see a section that says Stay Informed — here you can get notifications when severe weather warnings are issued. Tap Research Notifications.
2. Turn on severe weather warnings
(Image: © Future)
On the next screen, you’ll get a list of the different locations you’re tracking. You can turn on notifications for bad weather and precipitation in the next hour for each city so that tapping around town. I find this a particularly useful detail — I may not need to know about bad weather in Chicago, just because I like to travel there every now and then, but I definitely want to be alerted if there’s an alert in the city where my parents live.
If you use the Weather app’s ability to track weather conditions in your current location — and you should, it’s a very handy feature, especially if you use the Weather app widget — you may need to go to Settings and change the location access for the Always Weather app.
What information do you get from weather alerts?
Once you’ve made sure you’re getting alerts, they’ll be slightly below the current temperature, but slightly above the hourly forecast. If it’s raining, a severe weather warning is also displayed at the top of the Rain Forecast box showing potential precipitation. In other words, this is one warning you won’t get past.
Warnings usually come from the National Weather Service and will include the severity, area affected, and when the warning will be in effect. The Description section contains key details — as I write this, the flood warning for Seattle lists the affected areas and warning duration as an example only. Basically, everything you need to stay out of harm’s way is in the Weather app.
Apple’s Weather offering has become increasingly robust since the company acquired Dark Sky four years ago. In addition to weather alerts, you’ll also find information like air quality and UV index — two more data points that can help you avoid harm. And all this right on your iPhone, without the need for an additional subscription.
All in all, the Weather app is a great addition to the iPhone — I use it every day just to glance at the forecast. And you can bet I pay close attention to it whenever the storm clouds gather. I would encourage other iPhone owners to do the same.