DWD WarnWetter

WarnWetter is the weather warning app of the Deutscher Wetterdienst, the German Weather Service, a federal higher authority based in Offenbach. It runs on iOS and Android. The basic version is free and shows official warnings for Germany down to municipal level, with favourites, push notifications for significant events and warnings for natural hazards such as floods, storm surges and avalanches.

A full version is unlocked by a one-time in-app purchase and adds interactive maps with forecasts up to seven days ahead, a thunderstorm monitor, road weather, pollen count, UV index, fire indices and model forecasts. The English page does not state the price of that upgrade. Emergency and civil protection staff can use the full version free of charge after registering.

• Official warnings by municipality. The basic version shows warnings issued by the national service for Germany at municipal level. That precision suits people who care about their own town rather than a broad region, though coverage outside Germany is not described.
• Push notifications. Users can save favourites and receive push messages for significant events. The pages we read do not say how alert thresholds are chosen or whether they can be tuned per place.
• Natural hazard warnings. Floods, storm surges and avalanches are named among the hazards warned about. This extends the app beyond ordinary forecast content into civil protection topics.
• Interactive maps in the full version. Maps with forecasts up to seven days ahead come with the one-time purchase. The pages do not name map layers in detail or give resolution figures.
• Thunderstorm monitor and road weather. The full version lists a thunderstorm monitor and road weather. Together they serve drivers and outdoor planners who need local conditions rather than a general outlook.
• Pollen, UV and fire indices. Pollen count, UV index and fire indices are part of the full version, along with model forecasts. Allergy sufferers and outdoor workers are the obvious audience.
• Widgets and themes. The free version includes widgets, light and dark themes, a customisable homepage and selectable wind speed units. These settings are practical rather than central but come at no charge.

• A resident in a German town. The basic version gives official warnings down to the municipality with push alerts on saved favourites. This covers storm and flood notices without paying anything.
• A volunteer in civil protection. Full-time and volunteer staff of disaster relief, civil protection and environmental organisations can use the full version free after registering on the WarnWetter website, which opens the maps and monitors to them.
• A driver or allergy sufferer. Road weather, pollen count and UV index sit in the full version. Someone who needs those daily would weigh the one-time purchase against other apps, though the amount is not on the English page.

The app is obtained from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store, as the German page states. The basic version can be used straight away and shows warnings for Germany, and you can add favourites to receive push notifications. To unlock the full version you make a one-time in-app purchase.

The same account can be used on several devices, and Family Sharing is available only on iOS. Staff of disaster relief and civil protection organisations register through the WarnWetter website for free access. The pages we read give no setup time and no list of supported operating system versions.

The Deutscher Wetterdienst runs WarnWetter, a federal authority app whose free tier shows official warnings for Germany down to municipal level, with push alerts, widgets and natural-hazard warnings.

The full version adds maps up to seven days ahead, a thunderstorm monitor, pollen and fire indices. A court ruling of 12 March 2020 limits what the authority may give away, and the English page states no price for the upgrade.

In our weather apps ranking DWD WarnWetter stands at #7 of 12: the products next to it are Meteoblue above and KNMI below. Challengers hold places 1 to 3 where a category has them; the number here is a place in the order, not a mark out of ten.

DWD WarnWetter is based in Germany; 5 of the 12 products here share its region, Europe.

Pricing as recorded: Basic version at no charge; full version through one-time in-app purchase, amount not on the English page.

The basic version is offered at no charge. The full version is unlocked by a one-time in-app purchase, so there is no recurring fee described, but the English page states no amount and the German page repeats that it is a one-time purchase. Check the price in the store listing before buying. Purchases work on several devices with the same account, and Family Sharing is available on iOS only. Full-time and volunteer staff of disaster relief, civil protection and environmental organisations can use the full version free of charge after registering. The page explains that a Federal Court of Justice ruling of 12 March 2020 limits what the authority may offer in the free version, which is why some content is held back.

Source: the pricing material on dwd.de, as read for Best Weather Apps in 2026 and last reviewed on 13 November 2026.

One purchase works on several devices under the same account, though Family Sharing is limited to iOS.

The German page confirms the full version is a one-off in-app purchase, found in the Apple and Google stores.

The service is run by the Deutscher Wetterdienst, a federal higher authority with its address given as Frankfurter Strasse 135, 63067 Offenbach, Germany. The pages we read for the app do not describe data retention, location handling, certifications or hosting locations, and we did not read a privacy statement for the app itself. People who need those details should consult the DWD data protection pages directly before enabling location-based alerts.

Integrations the vendor names (9):

• Apple App Store
• Google Play Store
• Home screen widgets
• Push notifications
• Favourites
• Interactive maps
• Thunderstorm monitor
• Road weather
• WarnWetter website registration

Shared tags and a similar price model decide who is listed here; where none match, the neighbours in the ranking fill in.

• Ventusky (#4 of 12): Suits: Map readers who compare wind, rain and pressure fields across several models.
• Foreca (#5 of 12): Best for: Planners who like a calendar feed and a longer outlook beside the map.
• Meteoblue (#6 of 12): Basel forecast house using a many-model blend, now majority owned by Windyty. Best for: Buyers who value a long-running Basel modeller and public documentation.
• Buienradar (#11 of 12): Dutch rain radar owned by RTL with a two-hour precipitation widget. Watch out: free data is non-commercial only, and commercial use or apps need permission. (Netherlands)

Read from the vendor’s own pages on 12 November 2026.

• dwd.de/EN/ourservices/warnwetterapp/warnwetterapp.html: Free and full version contents, purchase model, free access for civil protection staff, court ruling, device sharing
• dwd.de/EN/ourservices/warnwetterapp/warnwetterapp.html: Widgets, themes, wind speed units and absence of a stated price
• dwd.de/DE/leistungen/warnwetterapp/warnwetterapp.html: App stores named and one-time in-app purchase confirmed
• dwd.de/DE/Home/home_node.html: Address in Offenbach and description as a federal higher authority

Four tests decide a position: how soon the product is useful, what the bill really becomes, how data leaves and who it suits. On those tests DWD WarnWetter lands at place 7 of 12. Method and commercial relationships are in our editorial process.