Weather Belt — User Manual

Getting Started

• System requirements: iPhone running iOS 16 or later.
• First launch: the onboarding flow introduces all data sources and requests notification permission.
• No account required — open the app and data loads automatically using your GPS location.
• For AI agents: obtain an API key from OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google Gemini and enter it in Settings → AI Provider.
• For Broadcastify scanner audio: obtain a Broadcastify API key and enter it in Settings → Data Sources.
• For Lightning: obtain a free Tomorrow.io API key and enter it in Settings → Data Sources.
• Air Quality Index (AQI) works out of the box via Open-Meteo. Add a free AirNow key under Settings → Data Sources for more precise US ground-station data.
• All keys are stored encrypted on your device and never transmitted to Ghost Logics.

Data Sources & Accuracy

Weather Belt is powered by a multi-source data pipeline. No single source is relied upon exclusively — when one feed is unavailable, the app falls back gracefully and shows you exactly what it's using via the Data Trust Strip on the Home tab.

Weather Forecasts — National Weather Service (NWS)

• What it powers: Hourly forecast, 7-day forecast, temperature, precipitation probability, condition text, short forecast label, NWS alerts.
• Accuracy: High. NWS grid-based forecasts are generated specifically for your grid cell. Temperature and precipitation data is generally accurate within 1–2°F and 10% POP.
• Update frequency: Hourly (NWS issues new gridpoint forecasts each hour).
• Fallback: When NWS is unavailable, the app uses cached data and displays "Cached" in the Data Trust Strip.

Current Conditions — METAR Station Observations

• What it powers: Hero card current temperature (when NWS temp unavailable), wind speed/direction, visibility, dew point, cloud ceiling, present weather override (e.g. "Light Rain" from raw METAR).
• Accuracy: Excellent for the specific station location. The nearest reporting station is shown in the hero card (e.g. KARR — Aurora Municipal Airport). Station data reflects conditions at that exact location, which may be several miles from your position.
• Update frequency: 20–60 minutes depending on station type (ASOS stations update every 20 min).
• Raw METAR strings are always available. Tap Current Conditions → scroll to the station row to see the raw observation.
• Fallback: When METAR is unavailable, NWS hourly temp and condition text are used exclusively.

Lightning Detection — Blitzortung

• What it powers: Real-time lightning strike distance, density trend, and hero card lightning flash animations.
• Accuracy: Good for situational awareness within 50 miles. Strike positions are community-triangulated and carry ±1–3 mile uncertainty. Do not use for precision safety decisions — treat as early warning.
• Update frequency: Near real-time (seconds per strike).
• Coverage: Global community network. Rural areas with fewer receivers may have reduced accuracy.

Cloud Cover — Open-Meteo

• What it powers: Hero sky system cloud density, cloud layer rendering, celestial disc opacity scaling.
• Accuracy: Good for regional cloud conditions. Open-Meteo aggregates multiple European and global weather models. May lag real cloud changes by 1–2 hours.
• Update frequency: Hourly.

Radar — RainViewer (NEXRAD composite)

• What it powers: NEXRAD radar overlay on the Map tab.
• Accuracy: High. RainViewer composites official US NEXRAD data. Radar reflects actual precipitation returns.
• Latency: 2–6 minutes behind real-time scan. Timestamp shown in the Data Trust Strip.
• Update frequency: Automatic — new frames load as they become available.

Air Quality — AirNow / EPA

• What it powers: AQI value and category in Current Conditions.
• Accuracy: Depends on nearest EPA monitoring station. Urban areas have dense station coverage; rural areas may use interpolated estimates. Add a free AirNow API key in Settings → API Keys for precise ground-station data tied to your exact location.
• Update frequency: Hourly.

Pollen — Tomorrow.io

• What it powers: Pollen Risk card and Current Conditions pollen row.
• Accuracy: Good for regional pollen trends. Where live ground-station pollen counts are unavailable, Tomorrow.io uses model-based pollen estimates — these are labeled "(Estimate)" in the app.
• Update frequency: Daily forecast.
• Key required: Add a Tomorrow.io API key in Settings → API Keys for full access.

UV Index — OpenUV

• What it powers: UV Index row in Current Conditions.
• Accuracy: High for clear-sky conditions. Accounts for solar angle and ozone data. Partially cloudy conditions may show higher than actual ground-level UV.
• Update frequency: Real-time based on solar position.

Seismic — USGS

• What it powers: Seismic pins on the Map tab, seismic correlation in Incident Intelligence.
• Accuracy: Authoritative. USGS values are the official US government earthquake record.
• Update frequency: Continuous feed — new events appear within minutes of detection.

Wildfire — NASA FIRMS

• What it powers: Wildfire hotspot pins on the Map tab.
• Accuracy: Good. FIRMS uses NASA MODIS and VIIRS satellite instruments. Each hotspot includes a confidence level (low/nominal/high). Low confidence detections may represent industrial heat sources rather than wildfires.
• Update frequency: Every 24 hours.

Marine Buoys — NDBC

• What it powers: Marine layer pins and MAR feed items.
• Accuracy: Authoritative for the specific buoy location. Coastal users should note the distance from buoy to shore — nearshore conditions may differ.
• Update frequency: Hourly (some buoys every 30 min).

Scanner Audio — OpenMHz / Broadcastify

• What it powers: Live scanner audio on the Scanner tab.
• OpenMHz: Free, no key required. Coverage depends on volunteer-operated receiver network in your area.
• Broadcastify: Broader coverage, requires your own API key (Settings → API Keys → Broadcastify).
• Audio quality and system coverage vary by region and receiver quality.

River Gauges — USGS Water Resources

• What it powers: River Gauge Flood Card on Home tab, River Gauges screen.
• Accuracy: Authoritative. USGS stream gauge readings are official federal monitoring data.
• Update frequency: Every 15–60 minutes depending on gauge type.

Home Dashboard

The Home tab is your live situational awareness dashboard. Everything updates automatically based on your current GPS location.

Hero Section

• Displays your current city and region (reverse geocoded from GPS).
• Live temperature from the NWS hourly forecast.
• Condition label from live METAR observed data when precipitation or fog is detected — otherwise plain-English NWS forecast text.
• Barometric pressure from your device's physical sensor (sea-level corrected) when available — independent of network.
• Tap the Pressure pill to expand a detail panel with your reading, trend arrow, rate of change, and a plain-language forecast statement (e.g. "Pressure falling — expect deteriorating conditions") based on the current barometric trend.
• Tap "Updated Xm ago" to force a manual METAR refresh. Data refreshes automatically every 15 minutes.

Rapid Pressure Drop Badge

• When your device barometer detects a rapid pressure drop (configurable threshold in Settings → Barometer), an amber "Rapid drop" badge appears next to the pressure reading.
• A rapid pressure drop is a proven early indicator of approaching severe weather — often visible before NWS issues official watches or warnings.
• A push notification fires when a rapid drop is detected (requires Background Alerts enabled in Settings).

Risk Card

• Shows the highest severity active NWS alert within 50 miles of your current location or any saved location.
• Alert severity is color-coded: HIGH RISK (Extreme), ELEVATED RISK (Severe), MODERATE RISK (Moderate), ACTIVE ALERT (Minor).
• Shows the alert event name, affected area, and approximate distance.
• Tap "View Radar" to jump to the Map tab with NEXRAD radar enabled.
• When no qualifying alerts exist within 50 miles, shows ALL CLEAR with a green shield.
• Alerts beyond 50 miles do not trigger the risk card — this keeps your home screen relevant to your actual location.

What You Should Do

• Four context-aware action tiles that change based on the active alert type.
• Tornado Warning → shelter guidance. Flood Warning → evacuation guidance. Severe Thunderstorm → shelter and surge protection. Winter Storm → supply and travel guidance. Wildfire → evacuation and smoke protection. Hurricane → evacuation and preparation.
• When no active local alerts exist, shows general preparedness guidance.
• Tile border color and ambient glow shift with alert severity — green for all clear, amber for moderate, deep orange for severe, crimson for extreme.

Quick Actions

• Scanner — opens live scanner audio.
• My Locations — manage your monitored locations.
• Geofence — configure alert zones.
• Reference — offline emergency guides and safety references.

Data Trust Strip

• Last Radar Update — timestamp of the most recent NEXRAD frame loaded.
• Active Alerts — count of NWS alerts currently active. Tap to navigate to the Alerts tab.
• Data Source — shows Online or Offline based on current network status.

Hero Sky System

Weather Belt v1.0.3 introduces a fully atmospheric hero card sky that renders in real time based on actual weather conditions at your location.

How It Works

The sky zone (upper 58% of the hero card) renders multiple layered components simultaneously:

• Sky Gradient — A two-stop linear gradient interpolated across 12 solar-relative keyframes from pre-dawn deep blue through midday bright blue through golden hour amber through deep night near-black. Gradient position is calculated from your actual sunrise/sunset times — not a fixed clock schedule.
• Cloud Layers — Selected based on cloud cover percentage and condition text:
  • 0–30%: Fair weather cumulus (subtle, light)
  • 30–55%: Partly cloudy deck (patchy SVG radial clouds)
  • 55–85%: Atmospheric deck (stratocumulus banks)
  • 85–100%: Overcast stratus layer
  • THUNDERSTORM: Storm deck (dark gray ceiling gradient with drifting cloud patch)
• Celestial Disc — Sun or moon rendered as an animated SVG disc tracking its real arc position. Arc position is calculated from your latitude/longitude and current time using solar geometry. Moon disc includes phase shadow based on current illumination percentage. Hidden automatically during thunderstorms, overcast, fog, rain, and snow.
• Weather Shader — WebGL GLSL shaders rendered in a transparent WebView overlay:
  • Rain: multi-layer drop columns with wind tilt, density scaled to precip %, surface ripples
  • Snow: layered flake sizes with gentle sway animation
  • Fog: animated volumetric noise field scaled to station visibility reading
• Lightning Flash — Triggered by live Blitzortung strike data. When active lightning is detected within range, the hero card produces a full-screen white flash with natural fade that mirrors a real lightning illumination event.

Condition-to-Sky Mapping

Data Sources for Sky System

• Condition text: NWS hourly forecast (primary) / METAR present weather (override when available)
• Cloud cover %: Open-Meteo hourly
• Solar arc position: Calculated from coordinates + time (no API)
• Moon phase/illumination: Calculated from date (no API)
• Lightning flashes: Blitzortung real-time strike feed

Home Tab Customization

Weather Belt lets you show or hide any of the 13 cards on the Home tab to match your workflow and priorities. Access via Settings → Customize Home Tab.

How to Use

• Open Settings from the Home tab (gear icon) or the More tab.
• Tap Customize Home Tab under Personalization.
• Tap the eye icon next to any card to hide or show it.
• Changes take effect immediately on the Home tab.
• Preferences persist across app restarts.

Resetting: Tap Reset in the top right to restore all cards to their default visibility.

Safety cards: Alert Status and Recommended Actions require a confirmation dialog before hiding. These surface active NWS alerts and immediate safety guidance.

The hero card and safety banners (fog, frost/freeze, thermal alerts) are always visible. Drag-to-reorder is coming in a future update.

Cards You Can Customize

Pressure Detail Panel

Tap the pressure strip on the hero card to expand a detailed barometric readout.

Shows

• Current pressure in inHg (from iPhone barometer)
• Trend: Rising / Falling / Steady
• Rate of change in inHg/hr (when trend data is fresh)

Alerts

• Amber: Pressure falling fast (warning threshold)
• Red: Pressure dropping critically (storm approach signal)

Tap again to collapse. Data freshness indicator shows when the last barometer sample was taken.

Data source: iPhone built-in barometric pressure sensor. No network required. Updates every second.

Conditions Advisor

Assesses current weather conditions against common activities and shows which are affected right now.

Activities Assessed

• Aviation/Drone, Marine/Boating, Swimming, Cycling/Running, Yard Work, and others depending on active conditions.

Inputs

• Wind speed and gusts, visibility, lightning proximity, AQI, active alert types, precipitation, temperature, feels-like, cloud ceiling, pressure drop severity, wave height (where available).

Shows the count of affected activities and expands to list each one with the specific condition reason. Updates automatically as conditions change.

River Gauge Flood Card

Surfaces automatically when any nearby USGS river gauge reaches or approaches flood stage.

Shows

• Gauge name, current reading, units (ft), percentage of flood stage, trend arrow (Rising/Falling/Steady), and count of additional elevated gauges.

Thresholds

• Near Flood Stage (amber) — appears before the official flood stage is reached.
• Flood Stage (red) — appears when the gauge crosses the official threshold.

Data source: USGS National Water Information System. Authoritative federal monitoring data.

Outage Risk Card

Local power outage risk model based on current conditions.

Inputs

• Wind speed, wind gusts, pressure drop rate and severity, active NWS alert types, precipitation probability, condition text, lightning proximity, temperature extremes.

Levels

• Low — Card hidden
• Moderate — Amber border, advisory message
• High — Orange border, preparation guidance
• Critical — Red border, immediate action message + local push notification (60-minute dedupe)

This is a local heuristic model, not an official utility forecast. Use as situational awareness alongside official outage maps from your utility provider.

Fog Risk

• Overnight and early-morning fog risk based on temperature, dewpoint, sky cover, and wind — fully offline, no extra setup needed.
• Shows automatically on Home when conditions favor fog formation (clear skies, calm wind, small temperature-dewpoint spread), hidden when conditions don't support it.
• Appears below the hero card when local conditions suggest fog is likely to form.
• Model inputs: Temperature/dew point spread, relative humidity, wind speed, cloud cover, time relative to sunset/sunrise, pressure trend.
• Types: Radiation fog (clear calm nights), advection fog (warm moist air over cooler surface).
• Shows confidence level (Low/Moderate/High) and expected timing when the model can determine it.

Frost & Freeze Risk

• Overnight frost and freeze risk based on forecast low temperature, sky cover, and wind — same offline approach as fog risk, no extra setup needed.
• Shows automatically on Home when there's real risk overnight (patchy frost, frost likely, or hard freeze) — hidden entirely on warm days.
• Also shown in Current Conditions when active.
• Appears below the hero card when overnight frost or freeze risk is detected.
• Model inputs: Evening/overnight forecast temperatures, cloud cover (clear sky = faster radiational cooling), wind speed (calm wind = frost risk), dew point depression, NWS freeze warnings in the forecast.
• Types detected: Frost (surface temp near 32°F), Freeze (air temp at or below 32°F), Hard Freeze (air temp at or below 28°F for extended period).

Intelligence Layer

Weather Belt monitors multiple data sources simultaneously and surfaces proactive intelligence cards on the Home tab when conditions warrant. All cards are dismissible and re-evaluate automatically.

Incident Intelligence Banner

• Triggers when 2 or more of the following are active simultaneously within 50 miles: active NWS alert, nearest METAR station reporting IFR or LIFR flight conditions, NASA wildfire hotspot.
• Amber banner shows which signals are active and approximate distance.
• Tap to dismiss — re-evaluates after 30 minutes if conditions persist.

Flood Risk Intelligence Banner

• Triggers when your device GPS elevation is below 100 feet above sea level AND an active Flood Warning or Flash Flood Warning exists within 50 miles.
• Elevation data from Open-Meteo (free, no key required). Cached for 24 hours.
• Blue banner with evacuation guidance.
• Tap to dismiss — re-evaluates after 30 minutes.

Storm Approach Timeline Banner

• Triggers when an active Severe Thunderstorm Warning or Tornado Warning exists within 200 miles and the NWS warning includes storm motion data.
• Calculates estimated arrival time at your location based on storm direction, speed, and bearing.
• Only shows when estimated arrival is within 3 hours.
• Amber banner shows: direction storm is coming from, speed in mph, estimated arrival countdown.
• Countdown ticks down in real time between 5-minute data refreshes.
• Tap to dismiss — re-evaluates after 15 minutes (shorter cooldown given time-critical nature).
• Does not show if storm motion data is absent from the NWS warning — no guessing.

7-Day Forecast

• Horizontally scrolling card row below the What You Should Do section.
• Data from NWS Gridpoints API — free, no key required, official government forecast.
• Each card shows: day name, weather emoji, high/low temperature, short forecast description.
• Refreshes every 30 minutes. Cached for offline use after first load.
• If forecast is unavailable (no network, NWS outage), shows a graceful offline message.

Air Quality (AQI)

• Air Quality Index works out of the box — no key required — using Open-Meteo's global air quality model.
• Color coded by EPA scale: Green=Good, Yellow=Moderate, Orange=Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, Red=Unhealthy, Purple=Very Unhealthy, Maroon=Hazardous.
• Tap the Air Quality row in Current Conditions for the full EPA scale reference.
• Want more precise US data? Add a free AirNow API key in Settings → Data Sources for official ground-station readings instead of the modeled estimate.

Sunrise, Sunset & Moon Phase

• Computed locally from GPS — offline friendly.
• Live feeds include solar times and lunar phase iconography for your active location.
• Golden Hour & Blue Hour — best lighting windows for photography, shown around sunrise and sunset.
• Daylight Tracker — shows whether you are gaining or losing daylight day to day.
• Meteor Shower Calendar — shows the next upcoming major annual meteor shower with days until peak; tap to see the full year's schedule with peak rates and viewing tips.
• The hero sky background and sun/moon icon are fully dynamic — colors shift continuously through the day, and the sun/moon icon rises and sets along a realistic arc, with the moon showing its real current phase.

Map Dashboard

• The Map tab is your primary intelligence interface.
• Full-screen interactive map using OpenStreetMap base tiles.
• Top bar shows active alert pill (red = active warning in your area) and Settings gear.
• Tap the LAYERS button in the bottom left to open the layer toggle panel.
• The LAYERS button pulses on first launch to draw your attention to it.
• Tap any map marker to open a detail card at the bottom of the screen.
• Radar scrubber appears at the bottom when NEXRAD is enabled — drag to scrub through time or tap Play for animation.
• Storm motion vectors appear over active Severe Thunderstorm and Tornado Warnings when NEXRAD is enabled and storm motion data is available.

Map Layers

Toggle any layer on or off from the LAYERS panel. Layers can be combined.

Weather Alerts (WX)

• Data source: NOAA/NWS — updates continuously.
• NWS weather alerts cover the United States and US territories only.
• Displays colored polygons on the map for each active alert zone.
• Severity colors: Red = Warning, Orange = Watch, Yellow = Advisory.
• Tap any polygon to see event type, affected area, and expiration time.
• AI Weather Interpreter agent translates alert jargon into plain English.

Tsunami Alerts

• Tsunami Warnings, Watches, and Advisories are part of the same NWS alert feed as other severe weather alerts — no separate setup needed.
• Shown with a distinct teal color and water-drop icon in the Alerts tab, Home risk card, and on the map, so they stand out from generic severe weather alerts.
• If a tsunami alert is active alongside a recent nearby offshore earthquake (M6.5+), Home shows a combined "Earthquake → Tsunami Warning" correlation card citing both USGS and NWS data.
• The Tsunami toggle in Settings covers Warning, Watch, and Advisory together.

Seismic (SES)

• Data source: USGS Earthquake Hazards Program.
• Real-time earthquake data worldwide.
• Pin size scales with magnitude.
• Minimum magnitude filter configurable in Settings → Map Preferences.
• Tap any pin to see magnitude, location, depth, and time.

Aviation / METAR (AVN)

• Data source: FAA/NOAA METAR reports.
• Color-coded flight categories: VFR (green), MVFR (blue), IFR (red), LIFR (magenta).
• Wind direction arrows rotate to show actual wind direction at each station. Calm winds show a dot.
• Tap any station to see decoded conditions: visibility, ceiling, weather phenomena, wind speed, temperature.
• AI Aviation Briefer translates raw METAR data into plain English flight conditions.

Marine (MAR)

• Data source: NDBC (National Data Buoy Center).
• Real-time buoy readings: wind speed and direction, wave height, water temperature, pressure.
• Tap any buoy for full observation data.
• AI Marine Briefer provides plain English coastal and waterway conditions.

Wildfire (FIRE)

• Data source: NASA FIRMS (Fire Information for Resource Management System).
• VIIRS satellite hotspot data.
• Data range configurable in Settings → Map Preferences (1, 3, or 7 days).
• Enter your NASA FIRMS API key in Settings → Data Sources to use your own access.
• Tap any hotspot to see confidence level and detection time.

Drought Monitor

• County-level drought severity from the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) — free, no API key required, updated weekly.
• Toggle the Drought Monitor layer on the map for a color-coded view from D0 (Abnormally Dry) to D4 (Exceptional Drought).
• Tap any county for its full drought classification and area coverage breakdown.
• When your county reaches D2 (Severe Drought) or higher, a note appears in the Fire Weather card in your Intelligence Briefing, since drought conditions directly raise wildfire risk.

Lightning (LTG)

• Real-time lightning strike data via Blitzortung — free, no API key required.
• Polling roughly every five minutes while enabled.
• Map pulse radius scales with average strike distance when activity exists.
• When lightning activity near you is clearly increasing or decreasing, a banner appears on Home noting whether it is intensifying or weakening.
• Alerts tab → Hazards → Lightning (MAP badge) jumps to Map and toggles the Lightning layer on automatically.

NEXRAD Radar

• Data source: RainViewer.
• Animated composite precipitation radar.
• 8-frame animation loop — scrub manually or tap Play for auto-animation.
• Frame stagger loading prevents rate limit errors.
• Storm motion vectors overlay automatically when active severe warnings include motion data.
• Updates every few minutes with latest available frames.

Storm Outlook (SPC)

• Data source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center.
• Displays categorical convective outlook for today and tomorrow.
• Color zones from Thunderstorm risk through Moderate and High risk.
• Use alongside NEXRAD to understand the broader severe weather setup for the day.

HAM Radio

• Data source: Bundled FCC repeater data.
• Displays ham radio repeater pins on the map.
• Tap any pin: output/input frequency pair, PL/CTCSS tone, mode (FM, DMR, P25, Yaesu Fusion, D-STAR), callsign, coverage area, operational status, and network affiliation (RACES, ARES, Skywarn, etc.).
• Ham radio repeaters are critical emergency communication infrastructure when cellular networks fail.
• A valid FCC amateur radio license is required to transmit. Weather Belt provides monitoring and reference data only.

GMRS

• Data source: Bundled FCC GMRS license data.
• Displays GMRS repeater pins on the map.
• Tap any pin: frequency, PL/CTCSS tone, callsign, location, and open/closed status.
• GMRS is widely used for neighborhood and family emergency communication networks.
• GMRS requires an FCC license (no exam required — available at fcc.gov). Weather Belt provides monitoring and reference data only.

Shelters

• Data source: FEMA evacuation shelter data.
• Shows open emergency shelters in your area during active events.
• Tap any shelter for name, address, and capacity information.

Hurricanes

• Data source: National Hurricane Center.
• Displays active tropical cyclone tracks, projected cone of uncertainty, and current position.
• Use alongside Weather Alerts and NEXRAD for coastal storm situational awareness.

Alerts Tab

Your centralized alert intelligence view.

Active NWS Alerts (WX Feed)

• Live scrolling list of active NWS alerts sorted by severity (Extreme first).
• Each row shows: event name, severity badge, affected counties/areas, expiration time.
• Count badge on the Alerts tab icon shows local alerts within 50 miles.
• Tap the Active Alerts count on the Home tab to jump here directly.

NEXRAD

• Tap "View Live Radar" to jump to the Map tab with radar enabled.

Hazards

• Severe — severe weather safety reference guide.
• Seismic — earthquake preparedness reference (NIMS).
• Fire — geofence alert zone configuration.
• Lightning — tap "MAP" to jump to the Map tab with lightning layer enabled.

Preparedness References

• Emergency Contacts, NWS Glossary, Getting Started setup guide.

Scanner

Access via Quick Actions on Home tab or More tab.

Free Tier: OpenMHz — No Key Required

• Browse scanner systems by state.
• View latest calls with talkgroup names and timestamps.
• Tap Play to listen to any recorded call.
• Auto-play toggle for newest calls.

Premium Tier: Broadcastify (BYOK)

• Enter your Broadcastify API key in Settings → Data Sources.
• Search channels by location, agency, or frequency.
• Live streaming audio.
• Recently played channels saved automatically.

AI Decode

• Scanner Decoder agent translates transmissions into plain English.
• Decodes 10-codes, NIMS terminology, and dispatch chatter into readable incident summaries inline.

AI Agents

Six specialized agents available in the Agents tab.

• Weather Interpreter — translates NWS alert jargon and METAR conditions into actionable plain English summaries.
• Scanner Decoder — decodes scanner transcripts, 10-codes, dispatch chatter into ICS-style incident timelines.
• Incident Analyst — cross-correlates weather alerts, seismic activity, scanner traffic, and shelter status into unified situational picture.
• Evacuation Advisor — provides structured go/stay guidance, routes, and checklists based on active alerts and your location.
• Marine Briefer — interprets NDBC buoy observations and NOAA marine forecasts into plain mariner briefings.
• Aviation Briefer — decodes METAR, TAF, SIGMET, and PIREP data into structured flight condition language.

Requires an API key from OpenAI (GPT-4o), Anthropic (Claude), or Google (Gemini). Enter key in Settings → AI Provider. Your key is stored encrypted on your device — never transmitted to Ghost Logics. All agent responses carry an AI-generated disclaimer — always verify with official sources.

Space Weather

• Data from NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) — free, no API key required.
• Shows the current Kp index (planetary geomagnetic activity, scale 0-9) and NOAA's G/S/R storm scales in plain language.
• Aurora visibility estimate based on your latitude and NOAA's OVATION probability model.
• When a radio blackout (R1 or higher) is active, an HF Propagation Impact badge appears here and on the Ham Radio screen, since solar activity can degrade HF radio communication.
• Find it in the Intelligence Briefing (Intel tab) and in Tool Belt → Space Weather.

Geofence Alert Zones

• Create custom alert zones for locations you want to monitor.
• Access via Quick Actions on Home tab or More tab.
• Tap + to create a new zone. Set: zone name, location, radius (50–500 miles), alert types.
• Alert types: Tornado Warning, Severe Thunderstorm, Flash Flood, Earthquake 4.0+, Hurricane, Winter Storm.
• Toggle zones on/off without deleting them.
• Background monitoring fires push notifications when a qualifying event enters your zone.
• Requires Background Alerts enabled in Settings → Notifications.

My Locations

• Save up to 5 locations to monitor conditions anywhere.
• Access via Quick Actions on Home tab or More tab.
• GPS location is always available and cannot be removed.
• Tap any saved location to make it active — all feeds, risk card, and alerts update to that location.
• Add locations by city name, state, or zip code.
• Proximity-based features (risk card, alert filtering, intelligence banners) check all saved locations simultaneously.

Off-Grid Mode

Access via More tab.

• Explains Apple satellite capabilities available on supported iPhone models (Emergency SOS via Satellite, Messages via Satellite, Roadside Assistance).
• Readiness checklist: charge all devices, screenshot latest radar and alerts, share your location with contacts, find open sky for satellite signal.
• Emergency message template with fill-in fields for quick communication when data is unavailable.
• Weather Belt does not control Apple satellite features — this screen provides readiness guidance and preparation context.

Reference Library

Fully offline emergency reference guides. No internet required once installed.

• Police/Fire 10-Codes — common radio codes used by emergency services.
• NATO Phonetic Alphabet — standard communication alphabet.
• Beaufort Wind Scale — wind speed to condition translation.
• NIMS/ICS Structure — National Incident Management System overview.
• METAR Decoder Guide — how to read raw aviation weather reports.
• NWS Alert Glossary — what every NWS alert type means.
• Severe Weather Safety — shelter guidance for tornado, flood, lightning, and winter weather.
• Emergency Contacts — critical emergency service reference numbers.

Compass

A full-screen magnetic heading instrument for field orientation when you need cardinal direction without leaving Weather Belt.

What it does

• Shows live magnetic heading (degrees and cardinal labels) using the iPhone magnetometer, with smoothing so readings stay readable while you move.
• Night mode activates automatically based on real sunrise and sunset times for your GPS location. The display switches to a deep navy background with cyan glow accents so you can read your bearing in low light without wrecking your night vision. No manual toggle — it just works.

How to use it

• Open the Tool Belt → Compass. Hold the phone flat (parallel to the ground) like a traditional compass for the steadiest needle.
• If heading drifts, move the device in a gentle figure-eight to help iOS re-calibrate the magnetometer, then return to a flat pose.
• Night mode engages automatically at sunset and disables at sunrise based on your current coordinates.

Data sources

• Uses on-device magnetometer and motion coprocessor only—no network required. Magnetic north can differ from true north; for critical navigation pair with map bearing and local declination guidance.

Thermal Calculator

Computes apparent temperature for hot-humid conditions (heat index) and cold-windy conditions (wind chill) from the values you enter—ideal for spot checks when you are away from a forecast card.

What it does

• Heat index blends air temperature and relative humidity to describe how hot it feels in shade, light wind conditions.
• Wind chill describes heat loss on exposed skin for cold air combined with wind.
• Outside the valid ranges for those formulas, the tool shows the actual air temperature so you are never shown a misleading "feels like" number.

How to use it

• Open Tool Belt → Thermal Calculator, enter the current dry-bulb temperature and either relative humidity (for heat index) or sustained wind speed (for wind chill), then read the computed value and any range notice.
• Use heat index during heat advisories; use wind chill during winter wind events. Always cross-check with NWS watches and warnings on the Home and Alerts tabs.

Formulas & validity (NWS-aligned)

• Heat index uses the NWS Rothfusz regression (intended for temperatures ≥80°F). When relative humidity is below 40%, the tool uses the Steadman heat-index formulation for that low-humidity regime instead of extrapolating Rothfusz outside its comfort region.
• Wind chill uses the NWS 2001 wind chill formula, which is valid for air temperatures below 50°F with wind speeds greater than 3 mph.
• Outside those ranges (for example, mild temperatures without meaningful wind chill, or heat-index inputs below Rothfusz thresholds), the interface shows the actual measured air temperature rather than forcing a heat-index or wind-chill value.

Data sources

• Pure on-device math—no API calls. Values you type might come from your own Kestrel, vehicle thermometer, METAR via Weather Belt, or any other trusted sensor.

Lightning Distance

Classic flash-to-bang estimator: start a timer at the lightning flash, stop it at thunder, and convert elapsed seconds to approximate range using the speed of sound.

What it does

• Measures the gap between visible lightning and audible thunder, then reports approximate distance in miles and kilometers.
• Reinforces the rule of thumb that each five seconds is roughly one mile (or three seconds per kilometer) at sea-level conditions.

How to use it

• Tap Start when you see the flash, tap Stop when you hear thunder (or use the on-screen controls equivalent to start/stop).
• Repeat for several strokes to average out reaction time. If thunder overlaps the next flash, reset and capture a cleaner pair.
• When distance is inside ~6 miles, treat the storm as overhead and move to safe shelter immediately—do not rely on the timer alone.

Data sources

• No external data feed—physics only. This is distinct from the Map layer lightning (Tomorrow.io) which plots detected strikes.

My Coordinates

Shows your current latitude and longitude with one-tap copy and share actions so you can paste into messaging apps, SAR forms, or dispatch traffic.

What it does

• Displays decimal degrees (and supporting formats where shown in-app) derived from iOS Core Location.
• Provides share sheet and clipboard actions for rapid distribution to teammates or family.

How to use it

• Grant Location permission when prompted. Open Tool Belt → My Coordinates and wait for the accuracy ring to settle.
• Use Copy for pasting into SMS, APRS messages, or email; use Share for AirDrop or radio-linked apps.
• For best accuracy, stand clear of vehicles and metal roofs; refresh if you have moved significantly.

Data sources

• GPS, Wi-Fi, and cellular fixes as provided by iOS. Coordinates are computed on-device; Weather Belt does not upload your position to Ghost Logics servers (see Privacy & Data).

River Gauges

Pulls USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) instantaneous values for river stage and streamflow near you or at bookmarked sites so you can correlate flooding alerts with live water levels.

What it does

• Lists nearby USGS gauges with current stage (feet) and discharge (cfs) where published.
• Highlights rapid rises when consecutive observations increase beyond a configurable threshold so you can spot flash-rise signatures.

How to use it

• Open Tool Belt → River Gauges. Allow location to sort gauges by proximity, or search by USGS site number if you already know the gauge ID from AHPS or USGS WaterAlert.
• Tap a site for recent readings and metadata (drainage name, datum). Cross-reference NWS Flood Warnings on the map and Alerts tab.

Data sources

• United States Geological Survey (USGS) Water Data services—public, authoritative hydrology. Requires internet; USGS may briefly delay telemetry during maintenance.

Shelter in Place

Structured FEMA-aligned guidance for hazardous atmosphere or civil emergency scenarios where evacuation is not immediately possible or contraindicated.

What it does

• Walks you through shelter-in-place basics: sealable room selection, HVAC/dehumidifier shutdown, communication check-ins, and pet considerations.
• Emphasizes official information sources (Wireless Emergency Alerts, NOAA Weather Radio, local OEM) rather than rumor networks.

How to use it

• Open Tool Belt → Shelter in Place when authorities instruct you to stay indoors (hazmat release, severe smoke, some law-enforcement events).
• Follow the checklist top-to-bottom; tick items as you complete them if the UI provides checklist affordances.
• If conditions worsen or evacuation is ordered, switch to Evacuation Advisor and official evacuation routes.

Data sources

• Curated from FEMA shelter-in-place protocols and related public-domain emergency guidance bundled inside the app—available offline once installed.

Evacuation Advisor (field tool)

A rules-based field assistant that suggests cardinal evacuation bias, timing reminders, and checklist prompts using active hazards near your GPS fix. This complements the AI Evacuation Advisor agent in the Agents tab, which can reason in natural language when you supply a BYOK key.

What it does

• Correlates NWS polygons (tornado, severe thunderstorm, hurricane, wildfire smoke layers when enabled) with your position to recommend a preferred initial heading away from the hazard core.
• Surfaces practical reminders: fuel, medications, documents, alternate routes if primary roads are under water.

How to use it

• Open Tool Belt → Evacuation Advisor during a warning. Read the suggested direction as a starting heuristic, not a guaranteed safe corridor—always obey law enforcement roadblocks.
• Cross-check with the Map tab (radar, fire, surge layers) before committing to a route.

Data sources

• Uses the same NOAA/NWS alert geometries and motion vectors already ingested by Weather Belt, plus optional wildfire hotspot context from NASA FIRMS when that layer is enabled.

Go-Bag Checklist

A context-aware packing list that adds or highlights items based on the hazards Weather Belt currently sees around you (for example, cold wave vs hurricane vs wildfire smoke).

What it does

• Starts from a baseline 72-hour kit (water, food, lighting, comms, first aid).
• Automatically stresses winter traction aids, N95 masks, pet carriers, or waterproofing when matching alerts are active.

How to use it

• Open Tool Belt → Go-Bag Checklist before seasonal storm season or when a watch is upgraded to a warning.
• Check items off as you pack; reset seasonally to avoid stale inventory.

Data sources

• Logic driven by active NWS headlines in the same proximity window as your Home dashboard risk card, plus optional user toggles for household-specific needs (infants, seniors, pets).

Dead Reckoning

Lets you propagate a position forward from a known fix using heading, speed, and elapsed time—useful when GPS is jammed, indoors, or to sanity-check a track log.

What it does

• Accepts a starting coordinate (defaults to your last good GPS fix), course in degrees true or magnetic, speed, and time interval.
• Outputs an estimated new coordinate using flat-Earth approximation suitable for short distances (tactical miles), not transoceanic navigation.

How to use it

• Capture a known point, then enter the heading you have been steering and average speed for each leg.
• Update the fix whenever you regain satellite lock to limit cumulative error.

Data sources

• Pure on-device trigonometry—no network. Initial fixes come from Core Location when you seed the tool.

Triage Templates

Pre-written message skeletons for SAR, family reunification, and mutual aid comms so you can fill in blanks fast under stress.

What it does

• Provides ICS-flavored formats (WHO/WHAT/WHERE/WHEN) for SMS, Winlink-style radio email, and voice read-back scripts.
• Inserts your coordinates from My Coordinates when you authorize paste-through.

How to use it

• Open Tool Belt → Triage Templates, pick a scenario (medical, trapped, utility damage), tap fields to edit, then Copy or Share.
• Practice templates in non-emergency drills so muscle memory exists.

Data sources

• Static template library bundled with the app—offline capable. Optional merge fields pull live GPS only when you explicitly allow it.

Visibility Danger

Translates reported visibility (miles or meters) into operational cautions for surface driving, light general aviation, and small-craft marine use.

What it does

• Maps METAR visibility values (or your own measured visibility) to color-coded risk bands for each mode.
• Calls out common thresholds (e.g., IFR/LIFR crossover, marine dense fog) with plain-language guidance.

How to use it

• Enter visibility from the nearest METAR (also shown on the Map tab) or from your own observation.
• Select mode tabs (Drive / Fly / Marine) to see mode-specific cautions.

Data sources

• Threshold tables follow FAA flight category breakpoints and WMO marine fog conventions; manual entry can be fed by NOAA METAR via Weather Belt or eyewitness estimates.

Incident Journal

A lightweight, geo-tagged logbook for storm intercepts, damage surveys, or exercise after-action notes tied to time and place.

What it does

• Creates chronological entries with optional photos, voice-to-text, and automatic GPS stamps.
• Exports CSV or PDF for insurance, spotter training, or team debriefs (export formats as provided in-app).

How to use it

• Open Tool Belt → Incident Journal, tap New Entry after significant observations.
• Keep entries factual (what, where, intensity); avoid speculation that could be misread as official storm reports unless you are submitting through proper NWS channels.

Log Observation (Home Tab)

• When active NWS alerts are present in your area, a Log Observation button appears on the Home tab.
• Quick Composer pre-populates: your current location and coordinates, all active NWS alerts, current temperature, pressure and trend, wind, visibility, moon phase and illumination, and timestamp.
• Add your own field notes and save. Entries are stored on-device only — never uploaded.

Data sources

• Stores data locally on device by default. Future "Incident Journal Community Sharing" (see product roadmap on the Weather Belt page) will be opt-in if and when released.

Settings

Data Sources (BYOK Keys)

All keys stored encrypted on device. Eye icon toggles visibility. Green confirmation appears on successful save.

AI Provider

• Configure OpenAI, Anthropic, or Gemini API key for AI Agents.
• Navigate to Agents tab after configuring to select your provider.

Map Preferences

• Wildfire Data Range — 1, 3, or 7 days of NASA hotspot history. (7 days uses 5-day maximum per NASA API limits.)
• Seismic Minimum Magnitude — filter out earthquakes below 0.0+, 2.5+, or 4.0+.
• Wind Units — knots or mph for wind display.

Severe Weather Alerts

• Minimum Severity — filter NWS alerts below Extreme, Severe, Moderate, or Minor threshold.
• Alert Radius — 50, 100, 200, 500 miles, or National.
• Per-event toggles — enable/disable specific alert types (Tornado, Severe Thunderstorm, Flash Flood, Hurricane, Winter Storm, Blizzard, Ice Storm, Dust Storm, Extreme Heat, Tsunami).

Barometer

• Rapid Drop Threshold — 2, 3, or 5 hPa sensitivity for storm precursor detection.
• Show Station Pressure Label — show or hide pressure reading in hero section.

Notifications

• Background Alerts — enables geofence and pressure drop notifications.
• Sound — alert notification sound on/off.
• Vibration — alert vibration on/off.
• Critical Alerts — see Critical Alerts section below.

About

• App version, system status (Diagnostics), user manual link, data sources list, privacy policy, Reset All Settings.

Critical Alerts

Critical Alerts allow Weather Belt to break through Do Not Disturb and Silent mode for life-safety weather events.

• Default: OFF — must be explicitly enabled by the user.
• To enable: Settings → Notifications → Critical Alerts → toggle on. iOS will prompt for permission.
• Once enabled, the following NWS event types will use the critical alert sound regardless of your device's focus or silent settings: Tornado Warning, Tornado Emergency, Flash Flood Emergency, Extreme Wind Warning, Hurricane Warning, Tsunami Warning.
• All other alerts use standard notifications.
• This feature required Apple approval and is approved for Weather Belt specifically for life-safety emergency use.
• Users who prefer not to have alerts break through DND should leave this off.

Privacy & Data

• Zero personal data collected.
• No account, no login, no tracking, no analytics.
• All API keys stored locally using encrypted secure storage.
• Location used only for map centering and local alert filtering — never transmitted to Ghost Logics or any third party.
• No data ever sent to Ghost Logics servers.
• Ad-free. Always.
• One-time purchase. No subscription. No hidden fees.

Data Accuracy Statement

All weather data in Weather Belt is sourced from public APIs, government data feeds, and community networks. Data accuracy is inherently limited by:

• Station proximity — METAR and river gauge readings reflect the specific sensor location, which may not match your exact position
• Model limitations — Forecast and pollen data use numerical weather models that carry inherent uncertainty beyond 24–48 hours
• Network coverage — Lightning detection and scanner audio quality depend on volunteer receiver networks that vary by region
• Sensor calibration — iPhone barometric readings are accurate relative to themselves but may differ from official station pressure by 1–3 hPa

Weather Belt is a situational awareness tool. For life-safety decisions, always consult official NWS products, local emergency management, and trained professionals.

No data you generate in Weather Belt (journal entries, locations, settings) is ever transmitted off your device. All processing is local. No accounts. No telemetry. No ads.

FAQ