RadarScope review: An extremely detailed weather app on Windows 10

Extreme weather can pose a risk to health and also affect any plans that are outdoors, especially with hurricane season in full effect. If you're trying to stay up to date, then you might want a more detailed set of information than you get in most weather apps. RadarScope is a powerful weather tracking tool that lets you see an incredible amount of detail on your PC.

The app is available for $29.99 on Windows 10. There are also versions available on Android, iOS, and MacOS.

Extreme detail

Before you scoff at the high price tag, remember that this isn't your average weather app. You won't see a weekend forecast with a beautiful Live Tile. Instead, what you get is incredibly detailed weather information. For example, you can view NEXRAD Level 3 data or Level 2 Super-resolution radar data. You can track the eyewall of a hurricane, see detailed tornado information, and track other detailed information from NOAA, AllisonHouse (if you have a subscription), and more sources.

You can use the app to keep track of extreme weather around supported areas and also save favorite locations.

RadarScope is aimed at people who are passionate about tracking weather information whether they're using it for professional use or as a hobby. The interface of the app will take some getting used to for people who haven't used an app like this before, but the amount of information you can track is incredible.

One thing that you'll notice right away is that RadarScope doesn't smooth out radar information. You're getting raw data that you can interpret and digest yourself. I'm by no means a meteorologist, but it's fun to browse through the different information and notifications that the app offers.

Just a bit behind

While the Windows 10 version of RadarScope is powerful, it's been a bit behind its Android and iOS counterparts at times. Both the pro tier one and pro tier two were unavailable in the Windows version for a long time after the app's release on Windows 10. Luckily, these are available as options now. With these, you get dual-pane displays, hail contours, and cross-platform support among many other things. The tiers do require a paid annual subscription, but having the option is nice.

RadarScope has gained the pro features of its iOS and Android siblings, but it's unfortunate that the developement of the Windows version of the app seems to be behind.

Overall thoughts

RadarScope isn't the type of app I'd recommend for everyone. It's a niche app that provides an incredible set of data to people who care about heavy-duty meteorological data. To those types of users, the relatively high price tag for RadarScope is worth it.

It's a little disappointing that some features ship to the Windows version later than the iOS and Android version of the app. But the pro tiers are available now on the Windows 10 version which is a welcome addition.

Updated September 2, 2019: We updated this article with our new format for reviews and information about the pro tiers being available.