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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
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Is it worth paying for

First Alert Weather

55
Value score / 100 Worth paying? No Skip it

First Alert Weather is a free app that provides generally accurate weather forecasts and critical severe weather alerts, but its recent updates have introduced significant performance issues, excessive ads, and usability problems.

Free to download 4.7★ lifetime (19,388) since 2011

First Alert Weather is a free app praised for its accurate forecasts and life-saving severe weather alerts, especially in specific regions like Mississippi R2R39R82. However, recent updates have led to frequent crashes, slow loading times, excessive advertisements, and issues with location accuracy and radar functionality, diminishing its overall value for many users R4R9R11R19.

Free vs paid

The First Alert Weather app is entirely free, with no in-app purchases or paid tiers mentioned in the product information or user reviews. All features, including weather forecasts, radar, and alerts, are accessible without payment. However, users frequently complain about intrusive ads and commercials, particularly before weather videos, which act as a de facto cost in terms of time and user experience R9R11R19R29.

Value complaints

  • The app is free but includes excessive and lengthy commercials before weather videos, making it frustrating to get quick updates, especially during severe weather.R9R19R29R79
  • Many users feel the app is more focused on selling ads than providing weather information, with ads covering the entire page and appearing every time the app is opened.R11R79R121

Where it delivers

  • The app is highly praised for its accuracy and dependability, with many users relying on it for critical weather information, especially during severe weather events.R2R5R6R14
  • It has been credited with providing life-saving alerts during severe weather, such as tornadoes.R2R82
  • Users appreciate the detailed radar and frequent updates, which are useful for planning activities and travel.R6R31R48R52
Worth paying if

N/A, as there are no paid features or in-app purchases.

Skip / stay free if

You should skip this app if you are looking for a fast, ad-free, and consistently reliable weather app, especially if you are not in the primary service area of WLBT (Mississippi) R4R7R9R11.

Evidence note: The reviews show a strong dichotomy between long-term satisfaction and recent negative experiences. While lifetime ratings are high, many recent reviews (often 1-3 stars) highlight significant problems with performance, ads, and new updates, suggesting a decline in quality.

Frequently asked

Is First Alert Weather a reliable app for severe weather alerts?
Yes, First Alert Weather is considered reliable for severe weather alerts by many users, with some crediting it for providing life-saving warnings during events like tornadoes R2R39R82.
Does the First Alert Weather app have a lot of ads?
Yes, the First Alert Weather app is heavily criticized for having too many ads, including lengthy commercials before weather videos and full-page advertisements that appear every time the app is opened R9R11R19R29.
Are there issues with the app's performance and recent updates?
Yes, many recent reviews indicate significant performance issues, including constant crashing, slow loading times, freezing, and a general decline in quality following recent updates R1R4R9R50.
Does the app provide accurate local weather forecasts?
While many users praise the app for its accuracy and dependability, some recent reviews report that the radar map and hourly forecasts are often wrong or do not match actual conditions R5R10R14R18.
Does the app have problems with location accuracy and irrelevant alerts?
Yes, numerous users report issues with the app sending alerts and showing videos for states or areas they do not live in, and some experience the app failing to save their correct location or stating it's unavailable in their area R7R8R34R35.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R9] 3/5 · US Weather app: The app has a few issues. First, it plays commercials before showing the 60-second preview of upcoming coverage, which isn’t helpful when a storm is approaching, and quick updates are needed. Second, when the news team is live, clicking to watch within the app redirects to the WLBT 3 website, where the live stream takes too long to load, again, not ideal during severe weather. Could li
  2. [R19] 2/5 · US Coveage is okay, but the ads are absolutely mind numbing: I’m in the app trying to watch the coverage videos and I get met with a 30 second long ad. Although it’s understandable, you cannot click or close out for a second without it glitching the entire app.
  3. [R29] 1/5 · US Don’t have time to watch it anymore! It’s useless: I used to rely heavily on this application for a quick 60 seconds overview of the weather forecast, but recently they’ve added commercials that are LONGER than the 60 seconds weather forecast. I simply don’t have time to sit thru the commercials to get to a 60 seconds weather summary. The application is of no use to me anymore. Last Saturday, a ho
  4. [R79] 1/5 · US Many Ads: This may be a good weather app but it has so many larger ads that I can’t tell. This app is not about providing weather. It’s about selling ads and they sell many. They never mention the ads while pushing it on TV. There are many apps to get local weather without all the ads.
  5. [R11] 1/5 · US Too much ads.: Barely can see anything with ads everywhere. Feels like a 90s website.
  6. [R121] 3/5 · US SoSo....: I really liked this weather app at first, then every time you opened the app this huge advertisement popped up first and covered the entire page...every time. And every time you got out and went back to it, it had to open up again which caused the huge app to show up every single time. Very annoying. Already deleted. Too bad
  7. [R2] 5/5 · US This is great: Ok so WLBT is awesome ok who cares what the other people rate it there probably not from the south . This app is amazing it gives you videos but no it’s not long at all . The people are just impatient. I was in the march 24 2023 rolling fork tornado and the chief meteorologist Dave Roberts he saved my moms and me life!
  8. [R5] 5/5 · US Weather peace of mind!: You are the best. I have only one other app. You are most dependable & accurate. Thank you
  9. [R6] 5/5 · US Traveling from Ky: Thank you so much for keeping us updated hourly! We downloaded your app on Friday as we traveled into Mississippi from Ky and it’s helped us tremendously to plan when we needed to stop. We travel in a motorhome so the updates have been so helpful!
  10. [R14] 5/5 · US Love this app: Love this app! Thank you for accuracy.
  11. [R82] 5/5 · US Thank God For This App: April 12, 2020 (The Easter Tornadoes) We received our alert in time to wake up our daughter, looker up some windows, and run to the opposite end of our Mobile Home..... In a matter of seconds our home was totally destroyed..... I thank God for this app because the end of the house that my daughter was sleeping on got ripped to shreds! If we hadn’t gotten the alert we wouldn
  12. [R31] 5/5 · US Best for business!!!: I use this app daily to arrange my schedule for workdays depending on if I can work in or out and helps with preparing!!!
  13. [R48] 5/5 · US First alert: Very accurate. Use the radar everyday
  14. [R52] 5/5 · US Very accurate weather forecasts!: Really pleased with weather alerts & accurate forecasts! Highly recommend this App to others!!! Really useful when making travel plans!
  15. [R39] 5/5 · US Ben Crowley/ Ozark: Dependent on you guys. Matter of fact, we trust you with our lives and property.
  16. [R1] 1/5 · US Not a Fan of Update: I don’t like how the forecast page defaults by having today automatically expanded. Don’t like how the radar loop doesn’t pause at the end. I hate how there is no option in the app to leave suggestions.
  17. [R4] 1/5 · US Crashes constantly!: The app crashes constantly. Specifically when tapping on Daily or Hourly. It will crash several times in a row before it finally loads the data. There is no way to report it when it crashes either. It’s not a user issue- cache cleared, happens during good data or WiFi connection, etc. It’s been going on for quite some time.
  18. [R50] 1/5 · US Slow: Even with perfect cell reception it takes forever for the app to load up. Once loaded app does really well with weather info and layout.
  19. [R10] 1/5 · US ALWAYS WRONG!: The radar map and hourly forecasts are ALWAYS WRONG! You’d think in the year 2025 with the technology we have today that weather forecasts would at least be somewhat accurate. Wrong. A forecast of a 90-100% rain day may not see any rain at all while 30-40% may rain significantly all day. A forecast of light thunderstorms may be tornadoes. This morning for instance the hourly and
  20. [R18] 5/5 · US 5 out of 5: The app is so accurate and I love that it like never glitches like most weather apps. And that they have videos from the news weather report.
  21. [R7] 3/5 · US Wrong area: My app is set to Atlanta, but keep getting weather reports from Mississippi.
  22. [R8] 1/5 · US Weather alerts: Hate yours as you give me alerts for states I do not live in. If it continues I am deleting the app
  23. [R34] 1/5 · US Weather predictions and warnings: I wish you would not send out weather warnings for places not even near my location
  24. [R35] 1/5 · US Too many notifications not for my area: See above

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store