A photographer snapped a pic of an incredibly rare blue rock-thrush bird in Oregon. These little guys, native to Europe and Asia, have never been recorded in North America. The birding community is chirping, with experts collaborating to verify it all. How’d the bird get here? Theories range from strong winds to hitching a ride on a ship. Isn’t that amazing?!
Cool trick to get your iPhone to warn you right before it rains
There are plenty of weather apps available with varying degrees of functionality. Most of them will give you basic information like the temperature, humidity and the forecast for the next few days.
But what if you want to receive alerts when it’s about to rain? Well, if you have been looking for an app just like that, you don’t have to search very far. You already have one on your Apple device. A little-known update in the latest version of iOS 15 is there to help.
Earlier this year, the National Weather Service (NWS) included its alert system into iOS. You can get mobile phone notifications on tornadoes, hailstorms, strong winds, and lightning by adding a new destructive category. Read on to find out how to get rain alerts more easily.
Here’s the backstory
To use the NWS alerts, you must activate them through an elaborate process. But there is a much easier way to be notified about rain, and that is through built-in technology on your iPhone that has iOS 15 installed.
Most weather apps will give you a forecast of the day, with a percentage chance for rain. However, the weather app on iOS can let you know precisely when it is about to rain. This should give you enough warning to find the appropriate shelter.
But don’t feel bad if you don’t know about the functionality. The rain alert was only included with the latest update as part of a massive overhaul of the general Weather app.
How to set up rain alerts
The Weather app that comes pre-installed on iOS is much better now and includes a host of functions, views and metrics. You can now also see full-screen temperature, precipitation and air quality maps.
To set up the alerts for rain, hail, or snow, you must add some locations to your list. By default, it will show alerts for your current location but also works for saved places.
Here’s how to add locations: Open the Weather app and tap the three stacked lines options menu in the bottom right corner. Next, tap the three-dot menu in the upper right and select Edit List. In the search bar, enter a city and tap Add.
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Your smartphone has many uses to make life easier, whether it’s related to work, school or your social life. Whatever use you get out of it, remember that it can also keep you aware of dangerous situations and weather conditions, giving you time to prepare or get somewhere safe.