Getting Started with IW Pro

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IW Pro includes a wide range of professional radar products and tools designed to help you better understand what's happening in the atmosphere. If you're new to IW Pro, the number of options can seem a little overwhelming at first.

To help you get started, we've created a Getting Started with IW Pro video that walks through the basics of using IW Pro inside the Instant Weather app. The same concepts also apply to the IW Pro web version, since both platforms share very similar features.

What You'll Learn

In this video, you'll learn how to:

  • Enable IW Pro inside the Instant Weather app

  • Open IW Pro Radar

  • Select a radar station

  • Switch between radar products such as Reflectivity, Velocity, and Correlation Coefficient

  • Play radar animations

  • Use the crosshair tool to examine radar values

  • Compare radar products using Swipe, Dual, Triple, and Quad modes

  • Customize the display using map overlays and settings

  • View weather alerts and read their details

  • Return to the standard Instant Weather forecast pages

By the end of the video, you'll be comfortable navigating IW Pro and know where to find its most commonly used features.

This Is Just the Beginning

This video is intended to help you become familiar with the interface. It focuses on how to use IW Pro rather than explaining every meteorological concept in detail.

Many of the radar products deserve their own in-depth explanations. For example:

  • What Reflectivity shows

  • How to interpret Velocity

  • Using Correlation Coefficient to identify different types of precipitation and storm features

  • Understanding Storm Relative Velocity

  • Choosing between different radar tilts

  • Reading weather fronts and other map overlays

We'll be covering these topics in future blog posts and tutorial videos using real weather examples.

Keep Learning

The IW Pro Blog will continue to grow with feature guides, radar tutorials, case studies, troubleshooting tips, and examples from actual storms.

Whether you're simply trying to understand today's weather or you're interested in learning more about radar meteorology, we hope these resources help you get the most out of IW Pro.

If you haven't watched the Getting Started video yet, it's the perfect place to begin. Once you're comfortable with the basics, you'll be ready to explore everything IW Pro has to offer.

Spotting Outflow Boundaries in IW Pro

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If you've ever noticed a thin line on radar racing away from a thunderstorm, you may have been looking at an outflow boundary.

Unlike rain or hail, an outflow boundary isn't precipitation. Instead, it's the leading edge of cooler air spreading outward from a thunderstorm. Once you know what to look for, you'll start noticing them on radar more often and they can provide valuable clues about how storms are evolving.

What Is an Outflow Boundary?

As rain falls through a thunderstorm, it drags cooler air toward the ground. When this cooler, denser air reaches the surface, it spreads outward in all directions, much like ripples created when a stone is dropped into water.

The leading edge of this spreading air is called an outflow boundary.

As it moves, it can lift the warm, humid air ahead of it. Sometimes this simply creates a wind shift and a drop in temperature. Other times, if the atmosphere is unstable enough, it can help trigger new thunderstorms.

How Does It Look on Radar?

Outflow boundaries often appear as a thin, narrow line of weak reflectivity extending away from a thunderstorm.

Unlike the heavy precipitation behind it, the boundary itself usually produces little or no rain. Instead, the radar is detecting tiny particles, insects, dust, or other objects being concentrated along the leading edge of the moving air.

Depending on atmospheric conditions, outflow boundaries can sometimes be very easy to see, while at other times they may be faint or not visible at all.

Watching It Move

A single radar image can sometimes make an outflow boundary difficult to identify. Comparing two radar images taken a few minutes apart makes it much easier to see.

In the examples below, notice how the thin line has moved outward away from the parent thunderstorm. While the rain remains concentrated near the storm, the outflow boundary continues to spread ahead of it.

By stepping through successive radar frames in IW Pro, you'll often see this outward movement very clearly, making outflow boundaries much easier to recognize.

An outflow boundary appears as a thin line of weak reflectivity extending away from the thunderstorm.

A few minutes later, the boundary has continued moving outward while the main area of precipitation remains behind it.

Why Do Meteorologists Watch Them?

Outflow boundaries can provide valuable information about what storms are doing and what they might do next.

They can:

  • Mark the arrival of cooler air and gusty winds.

  • Cause a noticeable wind shift at the surface.

  • Lead to a rapid drop in temperature.

  • Trigger new thunderstorms when they lift warm, humid air.

  • Occasionally enhance low-level rotation if another thunderstorm later moves across the boundary and the rest of the environment is favourable.

An outflow boundary alone does not mean severe weather is imminent, but it is one of many features meteorologists monitor when assessing storm evolution.

Spotting Outflow Boundaries in IW Pro

As you're watching radar in IW Pro, look for:

  • A thin line extending outward from an existing thunderstorm.

  • A feature moving away from the storm over successive radar frames.

  • A boundary that often travels faster than the precipitation itself.

  • New showers or thunderstorms that sometimes develop along the boundary later in the day.

These subtle features can be easier to recognize by animating the radar rather than viewing a single frame.

Final Thoughts

Outflow boundaries are one of many fascinating features that weather radar can reveal. While most people use radar simply to see where it's raining, learning to recognize features like outflow boundaries can help you better understand how thunderstorms evolve and why new storms sometimes develop seemingly out of nowhere.

The more you compare successive radar frames in IW Pro, the easier these subtle features become to recognize. Before long, you'll find yourself spotting outflow boundaries on many thunderstorm days.

Understanding Storm Relative Velocity (SRV) in IW Pro

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Storm Relative Velocity (SRV) is one of the newest radar products available in IW Pro, giving weather enthusiasts another powerful tool for analyzing severe thunderstorms.

While standard Velocity remains the preferred product for most situations, Storm Relative Velocity can make areas of rotation easier to identify when storms are moving quickly.

What is Storm Relative Velocity?

Storm Relative Velocity is based on Doppler Velocity data but with one important difference: it removes the overall forward motion of the storm.

When thunderstorms are moving rapidly, that forward motion can sometimes make it more difficult to identify localized areas of rotation. By subtracting the storm's movement, SRV allows you to focus on the winds relative to the storm itself.

This makes Storm Relative Velocity particularly useful when investigating fast-moving severe thunderstorms, supercells, and squall lines that may contain embedded rotation.

Before You Begin

Storm Relative Velocity requires Storm Tracks to be enabled in Settings.

SRV uses the Storm Tracks system to estimate the storm's motion. Without Storm Tracks enabled, Storm Relative Velocity cannot calculate the storm-relative wind field.

If you do not see SRV working as expected, first confirm that Storm Tracks is turned on.

When Should I Use Storm Relative Velocity?

Storm Relative Velocity is most useful when storms are moving at moderate to fast speeds.

Examples include:

  • Fast-moving severe thunderstorms

  • Supercells

  • Squall lines with embedded rotation

  • Investigating possible areas of storm rotation

Because the storm's forward motion has been removed, localized areas of rotation may become easier to recognize than they are on the standard Velocity product.

When Should I Use Standard Velocity?

Standard Velocity remains the best choice for most situations.

For slow-moving storms, Storm Relative Velocity often provides little additional benefit and may actually be more difficult to interpret.

Think of SRV as another tool in your weather toolbox rather than a replacement for Velocity. Comparing both products together often provides the best understanding of what is happening within a storm.

Triple Panel Mode Makes Comparison Easy

One of the easiest ways to use Storm Relative Velocity is in IW Pro's Triple Panel Mode.

Configure the panels as:

  • Left: Reflectivity (REFL)

  • Centre: Velocity (VEL)

  • Right: Storm Relative Velocity (SRV)

This allows you to compare storm structure, wind motion, and storm-relative wind motion all at the same time.

Figure 1. Triple Panel Mode showing Reflectivity, Velocity, and Storm Relative Velocity. The storm in this example is moving northeast at approximately 62 km/h. Because of the storm's relatively fast movement, Storm Relative Velocity helps make localized areas of rotation easier to identify.

Notice that the differences between Velocity and Storm Relative Velocity may sometimes be subtle. SRV is designed to highlight rotation by removing the storm's forward motion. It is not intended to completely change the appearance of the radar image.

Looking at the Example

In the Reflectivity panel (left), we can see the overall structure and intensity of the thunderstorm.

The Velocity panel (centre) shows the winds moving toward and away from the radar. Because the storm itself is moving quickly, that overall motion influences the velocity display.

The Storm Relative Velocity panel (right) removes much of that forward motion, making localized wind patterns easier to examine. This can make subtle areas of rotation stand out more clearly than they do on the standard Velocity product.

Notice that this does not necessarily indicate a tornado. Rotation within thunderstorms is relatively common and can vary significantly in strength. Storm Relative Velocity is simply another tool that can help you better understand what is happening inside a storm.

Using SRV Alongside Other IW Pro Features

Storm Relative Velocity works best when combined with IW Pro's other advanced tools.

As you analyze a storm, compare:

  • Reflectivity to see the storm's structure.

  • Velocity to view the actual winds detected by the radar.

  • Storm Relative Velocity to better identify localized areas of rotation in fast-moving storms.

  • Storm Tracks to understand where the storm is moving.

  • StormRisk™ to view computer generated severe weather probabilities.

No single radar product tells the entire story. Using several products together provides the most complete picture of a storm's behaviour.

A Powerful New Tool for Canadian Weather Enthusiasts

Storm Relative Velocity has long been used by meteorologists as an additional tool for analyzing severe thunderstorms. IW Pro now brings this capability to Canadian weather enthusiasts, providing another way to explore and better understand fast-moving storms.

We encourage you to experiment with Storm Relative Velocity during the next severe weather event and compare it with standard Velocity. With a little practice, you'll quickly learn when SRV can provide additional insight into storm rotation and when standard Velocity is the better choice.

Weather Alerts in IW Pro: More Control Than Ever

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IW Pro now includes a powerful set of Weather Alert controls, giving you more flexibility over what you see and how you see it.

Control official weather alerts and how they appear on the map

IW Pro displays official weather alerts from Environment Canada and the U.S. National Weather Service, and now you can fully customize how those alerts appear.

Customize the Alerts You Receive

You can now choose exactly which alerts matter to you.

Under Weather Alerts, you’ll find:

  • Canada Alerts and U.S. Alerts toggles

  • Full control over alert categories, including:

    • Tornado & Severe Storms

    • Winter Weather

    • Flooding

    • Tropical & Hurricane

    • Marine & Coastal

    • Heat & Fire

    • Wind & Air Quality

    • Geological Hazards

    • Public Safety

Choose which types of official alerts you want to see

Each category can be expanded so you can turn individual alerts on or off (for example, Blizzard Warnings, Snow Squall Warnings, or Severe Thunderstorm Watches).

Customize individual alert types within each category

This allows you to reduce noise and focus only on the alerts that matter most to you.

Turn Alerts On or Off Anytime

At the top of the section, you’ll see a simple Enable Alerts toggle.

  • Turn it on to display official alerts on the map

  • Turn it off to hide them completely

Control How Alerts Look on the Map

You can also adjust how alerts appear visually:

  • Alert Outline + Fill (on/off)

  • Outline Thickness

  • Drop Shadow

  • Transparency

Adjust how alerts appear with outlines, shadows, and transparency

This helps you balance visibility without overwhelming the radar view.

Instant Updates (IW Pro)

In addition to official alerts, IW Pro includes Instant Updates.

These are not official weather alerts. They are issued by the Instant Weather team to provide additional real-time insights, such as:

  • Rotation detected

  • Developing storm features

  • Other notable conditions

You can turn Instant Updates on or off separately, depending on how much additional information you want to see.

nstant Updates are separate from official alerts and provide additional real-time insights from the Instant Weather team

Why This Matters

Previously, it was not always clear:

  • Which alerts were being shown

  • Why certain alerts appeared

  • Or how to filter them

Now, you are in full control of both:

  • Official alerts from trusted sources, and

  • Additional insights from the Instant Weather team

If you have any feedback on the new alert settings, let us know. We are continuing to improve IW Pro based on your input.

Canadian Radar Outages Now Available in IW Pro

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We have added a new feature in IW Pro that provides more transparency around radar coverage across Canada.

You can now see when and where Canadian weather radars are experiencing outages directly on the map.

When a radar is offline or undergoing maintenance, a red radar icon will appear at that location (see image below). Simply tap or click the icon to view more details about the outage.

Screenshot 1: Red radar icon shown on the map

After selecting the icon, you will see additional information about the outage, including details provided by Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Screenshot 2: Radar outage details after tapping the icon

Previously, it was not always clear whether an issue was with IW Pro or the radar station itself. This update helps remove that uncertainty by clearly showing when a radar outage is the cause.

Outage information is based on data from Environment and Climate Change Canada:

https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/weather-general-tools-resources/radar-overview/outages-maintenance.html

We are continuing to improve how radar data is displayed in the app, and this is another step toward making the experience clearer and more reliable.

How to Update the Credit Card Linked to Your IW Pro or TMA Subscription

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If you ever need to update the credit card for your subscription, it’s important to know that changing your payment method in your general account settings will not update the card used for an existing subscription.

Through testing, we’ve confirmed that each subscription stores its own payment method. If you want your renewal to use a different card, you must update it directly in the subscription settings.

Here’s how to update your subscription payment method:

  1. Go to instantweather.ca/account/login and sign in.
    (If you forgot your password, click “Forgot Password?” to reset it.)

  2. Click Subscriptions.

  3. Select your active subscription (for example, IW Pro or TMA).

  4. Under Manage Subscription, click Payment Method.

  5. Choose another saved card or click Add New Payment Method to enter a new one.

Once updated, the new card will be used for future renewals for that subscription.

Why this matters:
If you only update the general payment method in your account without updating the subscription, the renewal will still attempt to charge the old card. In some cases, if that card has been deleted, the renewal will fail without even reaching our payment processor, and the subscription will be cancelled.

If you have any trouble updating your payment method, please email us at help@instantweather.ca. We can confirm the payment methods on your account and guide you through checking that your subscription is linked to the correct one.

🌪️ Tornadoes, Downbursts, and Microbursts: What’s the Difference and How to Spot Them on Radar

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When severe weather strikes, tornadoes often get the most attention. But they are not the only dangerous wind threat. Downbursts and microbursts can cause similar damage, sometimes without warning and without any rotation. Understanding how these wind events form and how they appear on radar can help you stay safe and informed using IW Pro. Keep in mind that radar scans at an angle above ground, so what you see may be occurring hundreds or even thousands of metres up.

🌪️ Tornado

A tornado is a rotating column of air that connects a thunderstorm to the ground. Tornadoes form in environments with strong wind shear and are most commonly associated with supercell thunderstorms.

What to look for on radar:

  • Reflectivity: A hook echo is often present. This curved shape on the southern side of a storm shows rain wrapping around a strong updraft.

  • Velocity: Look for a tight couplet of red and green pixels close together. This pattern indicates strong rotation and is known as a velocity couplet.

Important note: Radar scans the atmosphere at an angle, so rotation shown on velocity data may be happening above the ground. While not every velocity couplet leads to a tornado, strong rotation near the surface is a serious warning sign.

📸 Example: EF-4 Tornado near Didsbury, Alberta (July 1, 2023)
This image shows a clear hook echo on reflectivity and a tight inbound/outbound velocity couplet. The tornado was confirmed by the Northern Tornadoes Project.
🔗 Read the full damage survey

Didsbury EF4 Tornado July 1 2023

💨 Downburst

A downburst occurs when a powerful column of air descends from a thunderstorm and hits the ground, spreading outward in all directions. These straight-line winds can cause widespread damage without any rotation.

What to look for on radar:

  • Reflectivity: Often shows a bow echo — a bulging line of storms where the wind is pushing outward.

  • Velocity: Displays a divergent wind pattern, with air moving away from a central point rather than rotating.

📸 Example: Downburst near Spencerville, Ontario (June 24, 2025)
Velocity radar shows two separate areas of outward-spreading wind with no rotation, consistent with a large downburst.

Two areas circled that show Classical signs of a Downburst

📸 Example: Downburst near South Branch, Ontario (June 24, 2025)
This storm produced a bow echo on reflectivity and strong divergence on velocity, with measured wind speeds over 100 km/h. There was no evidence of rotation. This is the stronger (the one on the left) of the two signatures in the above example.

Downburst Radar Signature near South Branch

🌬️ Microburst

A microburst is a smaller, more intense type of downburst, typically less than 4 kilometers wide. Microbursts can cause major damage in a small area and are especially hazardous to aircraft.

What to look for on radar:

  • Reflectivity: May not show much detail due to the small scale.

  • Velocity: Sometimes shows a very localized patch of diverging winds, but these events are often only confirmed after damage reports.

🛰️ Understanding Radar Velocity

Velocity radar shows the motion of air above the surface, not at ground level. Depending on how far you are from the radar site, the beam may be scanning thousands of metres up. This means:

  • Not all rotation seen on radar reaches the ground.

  • Not all high wind speeds aloft result in surface damage.

  • However, strong radar signals combined with other data can help identify real threats.

This is why it is important to interpret radar in context and watch for warning signs like wind divergence, rotation, or storm structure.

⚠️ Quick Comparison

cHart comparing Tornado DownBurst and MicroBurst

⚠️ Microbursts often leave little to no clear radar signature at the time of occurrence. Their small size and brief duration mean they are usually identified after damage reports or post-event analysis. Watch for strong divergence on velocity, but also consider surrounding conditions like collapsing storm cores.

📡 How IW Pro Radar Products Help Detect Tornadoes, Downbursts, and Microbursts

In addition to standard reflectivity and velocity products, IW Pro also offers advanced dual-polarization radar tools. These products provide more detail about what's happening inside a storm, including the type, shape, and motion of precipitation. While tornadoes often show clear signatures across several radar layers, microbursts and downbursts can be more subtle. The chart below explains what each radar product measures, how it helps identify different wind events, and when it’s most useful.

Description of different the Different products available in IW PRO

🌀 Tornado Clues (IW Pro):

  • Velocity: Tight couplet (red/green side by side)

  • Reflectivity: Hook echo

  • CC: Drop below ~0.85 = debris

  • ZDR: Low ZDR with low CC and high reflectivity = debris

  • KDP: High values = intense rain or hail core

💨 Downburst / Microburst Clues (IW Pro):

  • Velocity: Outward/divergent wind pattern near surface

  • Reflectivity: Strong core, sometimes collapsing

  • ZDR: Sudden changes can suggest melting hail or bursts of rain

  • KDP: Brief spike may suggest dense rain shaft

  • CC: Usually normal, but a sudden dip might appear if mixed particles (hail, rain) are ejected downward

⚠️ Microbursts often lack clear radar signatures, so the absence of rotation + burst pattern in velocity is often the main clue. Dual-pol products are supporting evidence, not primary tools here.

🎥 Learn More: Visual Explanations of Tornadoes, Downbursts, and Microbursts

For a deeper understanding of how these wind events form and how to identify them using radar these two short videos offer excellent animations, real-world examples, and clear radar visuals:

📺 Tornado vs. Downburst vs. Microburst
A clear side-by-side explanation with radar examples and damage comparisons
🔗 Watch on YouTube

📺 Microburst vs. Tornado: What's the Difference?
Highlights the key differences in structure, impact, and radar appearance
🔗 Watch on YouTube

These videos are a great supplement to the radar tools available in IW Pro and help you recognize what to look for before dangerous winds reach the ground.

🌦 Final Thoughts

Tornadoes, downbursts, and microbursts are all serious threats, but they behave differently and require different radar clues to detect. With IW Pro's full radar suite including velocity, reflectivity, and dual-pol products you have the tools to better understand what you're seeing on radar and stay ahead of severe weather.

If you found this helpful, share it with friends or family who follow storms or use IW Pro.

Introduction to Instant Weather Pro

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Welcome to Instant Weather Pro, our most powerful radar platform yet. It is built for those who want more control, more detail, and more precision when tracking the weather across Canada and the U.S.

Following our official partnership with the Northern Tornadoes Project at Western University, their team asked us to build a state-of-the-art radar suite to help track and validate tornadoes and hail across Canada. The result is a professional-grade radar system that is now available through IW Pro.

IW Pro is a next-generation radar platform offering the same high-resolution data trusted by meteorologists. Whether you're a storm spotter, first responder, outdoor event planner, farmer, or weather enthusiast, it delivers the tools you need in an intuitive, mobile-friendly interface. It also works seamlessly on desktop and laptop, allowing you to open multiple windows for side-by-side analysis or to track different storms simultaneously.

We are also planning to launch IW Pro as a subscription tier inside our popular Instant Weather app. All current subscribers will receive access to the app version as well as the website version at no additional cost.

Instant Weather Pro on iPad

🔍 What Makes IW Pro Different

Most weather apps use a "mosaic radar" view, which is a blended image from multiple radar stations. While that is great for getting a broad picture, it smooths out important details.

With Instant Weather Pro, you can:

- View individual radar stations directly and not just the combined mosaic.

- Choose from multiple radar products to get different types of data.

- Control the elevation angle (tilt) to see different slices of the atmosphere.

- Compare radar products using Dual Mode or Split Mode.

- Enjoy ad-free browsing with a faster and cleaner experience.

- Track weather using desktop, tablet, or mobile all through your browser.

🛰️ Compare Radar Products: Dual and Split Modes

Instant Weather Pro offers two powerful ways to compare radar products, helping it stand out from many other tools on the market.

🔄 Dual Mode (Side-by-Side)

Use Dual Mode to view two radar products at the same time, side by side.

- Great for tracking how features like wind rotation (Velocity) line up with precipitation patterns (Reflectivity).

- You can zoom and pan both views together to follow the storm from multiple perspectives.

Dual Mode on a laptop, showing Reflectivity (left) and Velocity (right) from the Didsbury, AB tornado (EF4) on July 1, 2023.

🧭 Split Mode (Swipe Slider)

Split Mode lets you compare two radar products in the same view using a draggable slider.

- Move the slider left or right to reveal one product on one side and the other on the opposite side.

- Unlike side-by-side views, everything stays perfectly aligned, making it easy to see exactly where features overlap.

- Ideal for quickly checking if a hook echo on Reflectivity lines up with rotation on Velocity.

Whether you prefer a side-by-side layout or a swipe-to-compare approach, IW Pro gives you the flexibility to analyze radar data your way.

Below is the Didsbury, AB tornado displayed in Split Mode. This iPhone-recorded video demonstrates how you can swipe between Reflectivity and Velocity radar products to observe how storm features align.

🛰️ Radar Products Available

IW Pro lets you switch between several advanced radar products, including:

- Reflectivity – See the intensity of precipitation.

- Velocity – Measure wind moving toward or away from the radar (great for spotting rotation).

- Correlation Coefficient, Differential Reflectivity, and Specific Differential Phase – Advanced tools used by weather experts to detect hail, debris, and rainfall structure.

Not sure which product to use? We'll explain each of these in upcoming posts to help you get the most out of them.

🕒 Access Past Radar with Historical Data

Missed a storm? No problem.

Instant Weather Pro gives you access to historical radar data, so you can revisit and review previous weather events which makes it ideal for storm analysis, research, or just satisfying your curiosity.

- Scroll through archived radar loops for past days.

- Analyze storms in detail using different radar products.

- Perfect for training, educational use, or verifying what happened.

This feature also helps us create clear blog visuals, even when the weather is quiet. Many of the radar examples in this blog were captured from past events.

💡 Customization at Your Fingertips

You can fine-tune your radar view by:

- Changing radar products with one click.

- Adjusting the elevation angle (tilt) for surface or higher-level scans.

- Choosing radar loop speed or stepping frame by frame.

- Switching color schemes (like green/red velocity view).

💰 Subscription and Access
IW Pro is currently available for $99.99/year through our website.

Please note: This is our current rate and is subject to change in the future.

What’s coming soon:

  • Monthly and app-based subscription options

  • Additional tiers to match your usage needs.

We recommend signing up on our website for the best value. App store purchases include additional platform fees.

🚀 Ready to Get Started?

Ready to explore advanced radar features? Subscribe to Instant Weather Pro today and take your virtual storm chasing to the next level.

And be sure to check back here on the blog as we’re building a growing library of helpful tips to make the most of your IW Pro experience!

Have questions or feature suggestions? Let us know as we're building IW Pro with your feedback in mind.

🛠️ IW Pro Settings Overview (last reviewed May 2025)

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To open the Settings menu, tap or click the three bars in the upper-left corner of the screen.
Here’s a description of each setting. Some have recommended values, but many can be toggled based on your needs. We often switch them on and off during active use.

IW Pro settings

🔧 Settings Breakdown

Layer Opacity
Adjusts the transparency of the radar layer on the map.

Live Mode
When enabled, IW Pro auto-loads new radar frames as they become available.

Velocity Color

  • Velocity 1: Red/blue (Environment Canada standard)

  • Velocity 2: Red/green (more common in U.S.-based radar apps)

NEW – Velocity & Measurement Format
Choose between mph/kph. This setting also determines the units for the measurement tool (mi or km).

Radar Placement Accuracy

  • Recommended: 11 for most devices

  • Use 8 for slower performance

Labels and Boundaries
Toggle on or off to show location names and boundaries.

Time Display
Choose between 12-hour or 24-hour time format.

Canadian Radar Noise Reduction

  • On: Reduces radar interference spikes (“laser beams”)

  • Off: Shows additional features like hail spikes and faint outflow boundaries

Hail Size Estimation
This feature may not be available in the current production version. It was visible in recent builds but has been temporarily removed as we rolled back to a previous version due to performance issues. It may return in a future update.

Lightning Data
Toggle on to view real-time lightning strike locations on the map.

Mosaic Radar Layer
Shows the combined radar mosaic when no specific radar station is selected.
Tip: We recommend also turning off radar icons when using this layer.

NEW – IW StormRisk (Beta)
Displays IW’s experimental storm risk overlay.
[See this blog post for more details.]

NEW – Thunderstorm Forecasts
Shows Environment Canada’s “Thunderstorm Outlooks.”
Choose a time period and opacity level.
[See this blog post for details.]

Alerts
Turn this on to display alerts on the map. You can customize which types of alerts to show:

  • ECCC Alerts (from Environment Canada)

  • IW Instant Updates (our own real-time updates)

  • U.S. Alerts (from U.S. National Weather Service)

    You can also choose which specific alert types appear:

  • Instant Updates

  • Warnings

  • Watches

  • Statements and Advisories

  • U.S. Alerts
    Note: You can mix and match alert types and sources based on your preferences.

💡 Tip

To quickly reload radar data, toggle between Single, Split, and Dual modes.

Environment Canada's "Thunderstorm Outlooks"

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Environment Canada's official "Thunderstorm Outlooks" have been integrated into Instant Weather PRO!

Day 1, Night 1, Day 2 and Day 3 are all be included with full details when you select the forecast on the map.

Screenshot of ECCC Thunderstorm Forecast

You can select a day or turn it off in rendering parameters. You can also specify the opacity.

Here are a couple more examples including a funnel cloud risk.

Featured
Getting Started with IW Pro
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Spotting Outflow Boundaries in IW Pro
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Understanding Storm Relative Velocity (SRV) in IW Pro