I had a few thoughts come together a few nights ago. I was watching Tornado Alley late at night, which was probably a mistake, but it got me to thinking. I know there are some weather watchers who frequent this site and often post a head's up that severe weather is on the way encouraging people to reach out if they have family or friends up there. I don't think anyone on my trip-plan list frequent this site or are really super tuned-in to the potential of severe weather while I'm up there.

This year I'll have an In-reach with me and could receive a heads-up if something was coming our way. I mean, we check the weather radio daily, so we have that as well. I'm just wondering...leveraging the power of the interwebs, is there something we could set up here, a list of contacts, numbers, etc to "ping" if it looks like disaster is on the way?

Just a thought, not sure how that would actually work.

The In Reach allows you to text or email folks, and they can also text you. The In Reach also has free weather forecasts as well as premium weather forecasts available. So, in addition to your weather radio you have the in reach forecast plus you can text/email anyone and they can also communicate with you. Should be good?

I have a weather radio and an In-Reach that are very helpful but nothing can predict if a tornado will hit your very spot. Always be prepared and look at the sky above you.

I'm not sure I would want to unnecessarily worry my loved ones every time there is a storm in the area while I'm tripping. Hard no for me.

On a longer, far north canoe trip in 2018, we had our "emergency contact guy" texting us forecasts via the InReach. Not sure where he got the forecasts, but they were pretty accurate, even for the boonies. We knew pretty well when we had a "windbound" coming up. It helped. What is funny is that my wife told me to look for the Perseid meteor showers... but it never got dark enough up there!

First of all the weather reports are only free with the top plan, not the two others. It would cost you 1 of your 40 free texts a month. So kind of free if you stay under the 40 messages. I plan on using more than 40 messages during a trip so at that point it is $.50 Overage charge a message after that.

I will be talking with my wife each day in a text or email, but to save the battery, I won’t have it on all day, just when I’m using it. I will set up a time probably in the evening or morning and receive and send messages then, so if someone texted or emailed me on my InReach I wouldn’t get it until I turned it on. You could leave your InReach on and then someone you know could contact you and let you know that a storm in headed your way with a text or email.

Hopefully I would have looked at the forecast that day to know what to expect and be watching out for bad weather. I’ve found the weather forecast to be pretty accurate. The weather tells you in two hour increments on the first day, and 6 hour increments on the second day. If you click on the hourly forecast it gives you detailed weather data.

I haven’t had it long enough to see if it also tells you about a tornado warning when requesting a weather forecast. It does let you know the winds and precipitation strength. I have the InReach Explorer+. Not sure if the mini has weather forecasts.

minnmike: " I'm not sure I would want to unnecessarily worry my loved ones every time there is a storm in the area while I'm tripping. Hard no for me."

Same!