Support

HailCore intentionally favors flagging a possible hail-producing cell over missing a real one — so an alert means radar detected a storm structure consistent with hail (strong reflectivity plus, on many storms, dual-polarization signatures) within your radius, not a certainty that hail reached the ground at your exact location. Storms can also weaken, shift, or drop hail in only part of their path between the time of detection and when you check the sky. Alerts are also based on your set alert radius, so a detected cell may be near your radius's edge rather than directly overhead.

These describe how confident HailCore's dual-polarization analysis is that hail is reaching the ground. "Surface" means the signature was confirmed low in the storm, near ground level. "Aloft" means hail-supporting signatures were detected higher in the storm but haven't yet been confirmed reaching the surface — worth watching closely. "Unconfirmed" means the detection is based on reflectivity alone, without dual-pol data to confirm hail specifically (this can happen at long range from a radar station).

Open the Settings tab and look for the alert radius and detection-sensitivity (Conservative / Balanced / Aggressive) controls. Free accounts can set a radius up to 25 miles; HailCore Premium unlocks up to 100 miles. A larger radius or a more aggressive preset means more alerts, including more marginal ones.

Premium unlocks a larger alert radius (up to 100 miles), monitoring multiple saved locations, full-CONUS national radar view, and radar timelapse, plus premium map overlays: the Severe Weather (SPC) Outlook, Cloud Coverage, Hail Zones, Storm Motion, Radar Stations, Lightning, and Wildfire Tracker. Live radar, the Station tab, and core alerting are available on the free tier.

HailCore checks your position periodically in the background so it can keep alerting you as you move — for example while driving. Location is only used to calculate your distance from detected storm cells and trigger your proximity alert; we don't store a history of where you've been. See our Privacy Policy for details.

First, confirm notifications are allowed for HailCore in iOS Settings → HailCore → Notifications. Next, confirm Location is set to "Always" in iOS Settings → HailCore → Location, since background alerts depend on it. Then double-check your alert radius and sensitivity in the app aren't set so tight that nearby storms fall outside them. If everything looks right and you still aren't getting alerted during an active storm nearby, contact us below with your approximate location and the time of the missed alert.

HailCore renders its own radar imagery from raw NEXRAD data rather than using a generic third-party weather map, specifically tuned to make hail-producing cores stand out — that's why the color bands and detail can look different from Radar Omega, your phone's default weather app, or others.

No. HailCore relies on NOAA's NEXRAD radar network, which only covers the United States and its territories.

In the Station tab, sign in with your WeatherFlow/Tempest account to link your station. Once connected, you'll see live local conditions, rapid wind updates, and nearby lightning strikes alongside radar-based hail detection.

HailCore Premium is billed through the App Store, so subscriptions are managed the same way as any other App Store subscription: open the Settings app on your iPhone → your name → Subscriptions → HailCore.

Tip: in the app, press and hold any map layer button (or most other buttons and settings) to see this same explanation pop up on your screen.

Radar — HailCore's own rendering of live NEXRAD radar reflectivity, tuned to make hail-producing storm cores stand out more clearly than a generic weather radar map.

Clouds — Real-time satellite cloud cover from NOAA's GOES-19 satellite, so you can see cloud structure even where radar coverage is thin. (Premium)

Wildfire Tracker — Active wildfire detections and smoke plume tracking from NASA FIRMS, NIFC, and NOAA satellite data, overlaid on the same map. (Premium)

Hail Zones — Highlights the areas HailCore's detection has flagged as currently producing hail-supporting signatures — the same cells driving your alerts, shown as shaded zones on the map. (Premium)

Storm Motion — Arrows showing each storm cell's current direction and speed, so you can see where it's headed next, not just where it is right now. (Premium)

Alert Radius — Draws the circle around your location that HailCore watches for hail; only cells inside this ring trigger a push alert.

NWS Alerts — Active severe weather warnings and advisories issued by the National Weather Service, overlaid on the map wherever they apply.

Radar Stations — Browse and switch between individual NEXRAD radar stations, instead of always using the one nearest your location. (Premium)

SPC Outlook — The Storm Prediction Center's 1-3 day severe weather risk categories (Marginal through High), shown as a color-coded overlay across the country. (Premium)

Hurricane Tracker — Live tropical storm and hurricane positions, forecast tracks, and cone of uncertainty, straight from NOAA's tropical data feeds.

Lightning — Real-time lightning flash detections from satellite (GOES GLM), so you can see where storms are actively electrified. (Premium)