Your first session.

Thunder is an experimental desktop weather application. Keep official warnings available independently, and do not interact with it while driving.

1. Install the preview

Download the installer for your operating system. Both Thunder and Bulletin Studio are included, with application-menu shortcuts. Portable ZIPs remain available under Installation & checksum on the download page. Extract the entire ZIP before launching it.

• Linux: x86-64, glibc 2.39 or newer, Vulkan driver and X11/Wayland desktop. On Ubuntu 24.04 or newer, open the DEB in your software installer or run sudo apt install ./thunder-radar_2026.09.16.1_amd64.deb. Launch Thunder from your application menu. Portable ZIP users can run bash ./run-thunder.sh
• Windows: Windows 10/11 x64 with a suitable Direct3D 12 or Vulkan graphics driver. Run Thunder-Setup-2026.09.16.1.exe, then use the Start menu or desktop shortcut. No administrator access is required. Portable ZIP users can open Start Thunder.cmd. This preview is unsigned; check the source and SHA-256 before deciding whether to run it.

Activate this device

A product key is required for Thunder and Bulletin Studio. At first launch, copy the device code and send it to your license issuer. Paste the returned key and choose Activate and open. The same saved license covers both applications on that device and works without a licensing-server connection. When updating an older unlicensed copy, launch the updated app to obtain its device code, then request your key. Activation is required before entering the radar workspace. Moving to a different machine requires a new key.

2. Pick a basemap

Use OpenStreetMap without a Mapbox account, or configure your own authorized Mapbox token in the map settings. No personal tokens are included in downloads. New tiles and live weather feeds require internet access.

3. Keep it updated

Open Application → Settings → Application updates. New downloads have the update URL configured. For an older updater-capable installation, paste the appropriate URL and save:

Starting with 2026.09.11.2, packaged Thunder checks for updates and downloads them automatically when it opens. When ready, choose Restart to update. Close Bulletin Studio first. Installation restarts Thunder; do it between sessions, not while depending on the display. You can disable automatic downloads in Application updates. Older updater-capable versions need one manual Check for updates → Download and verify → Install update and restart to gain this behavior.

The updater retains previous executables for rollback and preserves settings, sounds and local data. Matching executable hashes report “Up to date.” Very old builds without the updater need a fresh installer once.

Trust and verification

Update only from a server you trust. HTTPS and SHA-256 protect transport and detect mismatched files, but updates do not yet have independent publisher signatures. Downloads contain no bundled personal credentials, tones or databases. There are no accounts or tracking scripts on this site.

If something goes wrong

For the Ubuntu installer, the writable application lives in ~/.local/share/thunder/app (or under your configured XDG_DATA_HOME). On Windows, it lives in %LOCALAPPDATA%\\Programs\\Thunder. Look beside the Thunder executable for thunder-errors.log and thunder-machine.json. These include errors, panic backtraces and machine/GPU specifications. Review them before sharing; error messages can contain local paths. Logs are not automatically uploaded.

For rollback, close both apps and restore their .previous executables to the original names. If an update cannot launch, keep the old backups and use the previous working release.

Preview limitations

Volume Sweep can lag behind Sweep. GPU device loss during desktop-session switching remains a known issue. Routing, storm research and field workflows are experimental, and data availability depends on upstream sources. Neither this website nor its screenshot provides live warnings.