Tempest Weather

I bought my Tempest weather station about two months ago and I’m using it daily. Apart from the lightning detections, for which I have some doubts (it happens sometime that strikes are detected with clear sky, maybe because of electromagnetic interference), I’m very satisfied with the sensor and the app. The whole product is carefully designed and you have access to loads of documentation. Installation and configuration were astonishingly easy, and the Tempest was ready to do its work just a few minutes after being unboxed. Based on what I could see (and verify with other sources), the measurements are accurate. I’m very satisfied with the rain measurement - having an accurate measurement of rainfall, rain intensity and duration was one of the main reasons for buying the Tempest. The app is very well designed, maybe one of the best I’ve seen on the market. I mainly use it on my iPad and it’s clear, constantly updated, complete, effective in giving you the information you need. I’m starting to try some automations with Apple shortcuts and IFTT. The actions featured in Apple shortcuts are very limited, so I’m trying IFTT and having a look at the API. I would recommend Tempest to anyone willing to buy a weather station so effective and easy to use.

So, this is a review of the Weather Flow software. But I will say that I am singularly unimpressed with the Tempest rain sensor (haptic) and wind speed/direction (sonic). Owning weather stations since 2000, I know what works. Tempest doesn’t fit the bill…not for me. But anyway, the software is pretty weak also. It is not very well thought out. Like - it provides data, sure. But not much more. The graphs are a joke, and the data is provides is not coherently organized. I feel like they don’t even consult users or look at other successful apps to see what works and what doesn’t. There’s not map of local stations, the day’s high temp isn’t shown, the main page is just not well planned out. Anyway - I got it so I could connect it to my lawn watering setup…otherwise I would can the whole setup and go back to Davis Vantage Pro 2.

Given the slightest bump in traffic or network and the app stops getting new data until it is restarted. This is used on a tablet for continuous display, so I have to force close the app often. I wish the app would automatically try to reconnect after data stops for any reason.

The Tempest app for Apple Watch is egregious. It crashes almost every time I open it (even on my Apple Watch Ultra 2) and the complications never update. Developers, if you are reading this, please fix this issue for Apple Watch users. I really like my Tempest weather station, and I (along with others) would appreciate having a stable app on our watches to view the weather conditions.

I lost my favorite widget from any app I have. on the update. On my widget screen there was an all inclusive widget that showed if it was raining and how much rain we had gotten. I really liked that and now it’s gone 🥲. It doesn’t handle mists or light rains well but everything else is spot on. If these two things were fixed it would be a solid 10 out of 5.

The hardware is $300 but when I open the app, there is no way to display that data. Instead, it shows you the general weather. If you click another button, you can EVENTUALLY get to the weather station that you just dropped $300 for, but there is no display upon opening the app. This could EASILY be fixed with a setting that says “ what would you like to display when opening the app: the weather or your weather station data” such a shame Update: App developer replied saying the weather shows is from my station. Clearly the person replying does not use the app. it is in fact, not from my station, but an aggregative data which it clearly says when you open. For example, how can my personal station “predict” weather for the next 10 days. That’s not possible. Get better product support people that have actually use the app! unfortunately, this review will go nowhere because the person receiving the interview is the problem and there’s no way to get in contact with the company itself.

Overall I am disappointed by both the app and the sensor. There’s no AI in this app whatsoever, it has never learned anything about how badly wrong the forecasts are and never adjusted the forecasts. I don’t know where it gets them but they are extremely unreliable. There’s also a bug with switching between C and F for temperature. You have to restart the app. This bug has been there for practically three years. They don’t do much to improve the app, nothing ever gets fixed. I use it now as a cheap outdoor temperature sensor. It’s a shame because there’s so much potential here that will probably never be realized.

The overall app works but needs a bit of help. Maps would be great. It is slow to load the data when you press the weather station icon. Real time displays would be nice instead of having a static feel.

And this software is very unaccomplished and weird looking.

Love them both!! I knocked one star off because it doesn’t have a radar map. Would be the perfect addition so I can ditch my other weather app completely!! Tempest - Please seriously consider adding the radar map and air quality reading to this app. Also, severe weather alerts (storms,hurricane,tornado,air quality,etc) are desperately needed! I love that your app shows it, but never alerts me to any warnings or watches. I would finally be able to ditch my other weather app if these were added. I wouldn’t pay a subscription, as I do use your weather station and love it!! I think this is an important addition(s) to your app. Besides that, it works great!