As Hurricane Florence approaches, here’s how to stay informed on Apple TV

Being called the “storm of a lifetime”, hurricane Florence with winds of 105 miles an hour is preparing to hit the southern east coast of the U.S. early Friday with life-threatening rainfall for parts of the Carolinas and mid-Atlantic region.

As a category two hurricane, the storm forecast as of Thursday is for increasing chances of major damage. Forecasters are now predicting hurricane Florence will sit off the North Carolina coast Friday for a full day, then slide south, parallel to the coastline causing potentially extreme rainfall amounts of 20-30 inches, 40 inches in some isolated spots.

Check out live video above of hurricane Florence’s impact 34 miles off the coast of North Carolina.

If there’s a time when media plays a key role in potentially saving lives, hurricane Florence is the perfect example with broadcasters from radio stations to local TV affiliates to national news and weather networks available on Apple TV.

Here is a complete rundown of the various sources available to keep track of Hurricane Florence on your Apple TV…

RADIO

myTuner Radio is definitely the most popular radio app for Apple TV. It offers more than 50,000 radio stations and all the important ones in the Carolinas and Virginia are available. News stations available from the hurricane region include WFBT, WAAV, WFSS, WILM, WTKK, WFNC, WEEB, and WPTF to name a few. The app has a clear interface and you can view the most popular channels at a glance or use the search function. You can also search by genre, allowing you to tune your music to the atmosphere. There is both a free and a premium version with the latter free of commercials.

iHeartRadio – offers local AM and FM stations as well as broadcast stations from across the country directly on your Apple TV. There is also personalized radio where you can even sync your account, so your favorites are available without any extra setup.

TV

There are a number of local TV stations in the hurricane’s path that have Apple TV apps to watch live news coverage. With links to their Apple TV apps, they are…

WRAL – Fayetteville, NC – Raleigh, NC (which has surged to the 15th most popular News app on the Apple TV App Store.)

WSOC – Charleston, SC

WTKR – Norfolk, VA

LIVESTREAM

Livestream is an excellent Apple TV app for live coverage of local TV news stations. Among those stations include WECT in Wilmington, North Carolina, which is directly in the landfall path of hurricane Florence. If there’s one station to watch, it’s this one. Other stations in the area of the storm with live coverage on Livestream include WAVY, WBTW, WWAY, and WBTV.

A number of national networks will have continuous updates and live coverage. They are…

WEATHER CHANNEL

Despite its number one ranking as a weather app on the App Store, the Weather Channel Apple TV app does not have a live stream of its network putting its value as a source for immediate hurricane information as worthless. The better option is to watch The Weather Channel through the various streaming services offering it. They include DirecTV Now (Just Right package and above), and Fubo TV.

ACCUWEATHER

The AccuWeather Apple TV app does not have a live stream of its network, so its value as a source for immediate hurricane information is worthless. The better option is to watch through the only service offering a live stream of its network…DirecTV Now (Just Right package and above).

Continuous coverage of hurricanes is a staple of 24/7 news networks. Here’s a list of those and their availability through Apple TV.

CNN

CNN is available for live viewing on its Apple TV app (pay TV subscription or TV provider login required). CNN is also available through the following live streaming services, all available through their Apple TV apps…Watch TV, Sling TV, YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, DirecTV Now, and Playstation Vue.

FOX NEWS

Fox News is available for live viewing on its Apple TV app (pay TV subscription or TV provider login required). Fox News is also available through the following live streaming services, all available through their Apple TV apps…YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, Fubo TV, DirecTV Now, and Playstation Vue.

MSNBC

MSNBC does not have an Apple TV app, but is available through the following live streaming services, all available through their Apple TV apps… Sling TV, YouTube TV, Fubo TV, DirecTV Now, Hulu with Live TV, and Playstation Vue.

CBSN

CBSN will provide much more continuous coverage than the main TV network and is available through its Apple TV app.

ABC NEWS

ABC News will provide much more continuous coverage than the main TV network and is available through its Apple TV app.

APPS

A few apps are essential for monitoring hurricane Florence on Apple TV. With links in their names, they are…

US NOAA Radars 3D

MeteoEarth