Help Is Within Range
Questions about the radar, your account or your subscription? Start here. Customers can open a ticket from My Account > Support Tickets, or email [email protected].
Common Questions
Answers to the usual radar, account and billing questions, below.
[email protected] reaches a real person.
Tickets
Customers keep a whole thread in My Account.
Common Questions
Is there a free trial?
Yes: 5 days of the full product. You need a free LightningWX account to start it.
What does it cost?
$139 once for the software, plus Full LightningWX at $12 a month, $66 every 6 months, or $120 a year.
What happens if my subscription ends?
LightningWX keeps running as Basic Radar: view-only live reflectivity and velocity for any U.S. radar site, NOAA lightning, NWS warnings with alert sounds, Will It Hit Me?, NOAA Weather Radio, map layers, the distance tool and Quick Lessons.
Does LightningWX show NEXRAD dual-pol radar?
Yes. It reads raw NEXRAD Level II data straight from NOAA for every U.S. radar site. Basic Radar shows reflectivity and velocity; Full LightningWX adds the dual-pol views (differential reflectivity, correlation coefficient, specific differential phase, What’s Falling) with plain-language names, plus its own velocity dealiasing.
Can it detect tornado rotation and hail?
Full LightningWX looks for rotation, tornado vortex signatures and tornado debris signatures, and estimates hail size and hail chance. We test it against historic tornadoes like Moore 2013, El Reno 2013 and Joplin 2011. It’s a learning and watching tool, not a warning: always follow the National Weather Service.
Does it have a live lightning map?
Yes. LightningWX plots live lightning from NOAA’s GOES satellites (the Geostationary Lightning Mapper), included in Basic Radar. Full LightningWX adds GenAvaM, its own lightning-chance forecast for the next 30 and 60 minutes.
Does it track hurricanes?
Full LightningWX shows active National Hurricane Center storms with model spaghetti plots and intensity guidance. Tropical warnings themselves stay free through NWS alerts.
How many computers can I use?
Up to 3 PCs on one account. Sign out of one in My Account to move to another.
Does it run on Mac or phones?
Not today. LightningWX is a Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit) program.
Does it need the internet?
For live data, yes. It also checks in with our server at least every 7 days to confirm your account.
Why can’t I save images during the trial?
Saving, exporting, screenshots, recording and streaming need a paid license, so they are not part of the trial.
Is LightningWX an official warning source?
No. It’s for watching and learning. Always follow National Weather Service warnings and local officials.
Where does the data come from?
NOAA and the National Weather Service (radar, alerts, models, lightning), NASA (satellite imagery) and USGS (maps).
Open a Ticket
Sign in to open a ticket. Ticketing is for customers, so it stays answerable by one person. Not a customer, or still on the trial? Email reaches us just the same.
When You Write In
Tell us the radar site, the time (with your time zone) and which view you were on. A screenshot helps, if your plan allows saving one. For a bug, say what you did, what you expected and what happened instead.
