As unpredictable weather patterns and extreme weather alerts become more common, it’s more important than ever to have access to accurate, reliable weather information. Fortunately, the following apps are here to help.
Whether you’re looking for a general forecast for the day or detailed radar images of local weather patterns, these apps can transform your smartphone into your own personal meteorologist with a single tap.
1. Carrot Weather
Best known for the sarcastic comments and jokes that accompany its forecasts, Carrot Weather is a great choice if you like your weather information to have a little personality. Now available on Android after many years as an iOS-only app, Carrot Weather serves up current, hourly, and 7-day forecasts with a side order of attitude (“friendly”, “snarky”, or “murderous” are the options you can choose from).
You can easily tap and swipe to access more detailed meteorological data, and subscribers can receive notifications for critical weather events and create custom reminders that will be triggered by particular weather conditions. And when it comes to its sleek interface, the app is clearly doing something right. Earlier this year, Carrot Weather received a coveted Apple Design Award in recognition of its high-quality interactive features.
2. The Weather Channel
Available on Android and iOS, this free, ad-supported app from The Weather Channel is a goldmine of weather information. You can get detailed temperature, wind, and visibility information on an hourly or daily basis, peruse the extended 10-day forecast, and check out interactive maps that feature up-to-the-minute Doppler radar data on rainfall and other weather events. In addition, if you’re someone who always loves to chat about the weather, you’ll enjoy The Weather Channel’s social sharing features, which allow you to upload and browse photos, videos, and tweets.
3. AccuWeather
Another great choice for daily weather information is AccuWeather. Open up the app and you’ll see a snapshot of the current and expected conditions for the day, including what the temperature really feels like in the sun or shade, the UV index, and the wind speed.
Of particular interest to users with allergies is the allergy breakdown, which shows the daily levels of common allergens such as tree, grass, and ragweed pollen. Easy-to-use tabs give you the option to check hourly and daily temperatures, see a radar map, or watch short weather news videos.
4. Weather Underground
For truly local weather, nothing beats Weather Underground. This app leverages the power of crowd reporting—including more than 30,000 personal and amateur weather stations—to deliver the most accurate weather information for your area.
Take advantage of Weather Underground’s unique features to verify reported forecasts and contribute to the app by posting your own sky and hazard reports. You can also opt to receive notifications for severe weather alerts and other meteorological data, as well as hourly forecasts.
5. Weather on the Way
Checking the weather is a must-do task before you set out on a road trip, but what if your weather app didn’t just tell you about severe weather conditions on your route, but actually helped you avoid them? Weather on the Way offers just that service. By combining navigation features with severe weather alerts, the app lets you know about potentially hazardous weather you might encounter on your drive so you can be better prepared or choose an alternate route if necessary.
Enter your starting location, destination, and intended departure time, and Weather on the Way will display the conditions along your chosen route. You can also check out the app’s timeline feature for more detailed data on what the weather will be like when you get to different points along your path.
6. Geometric Weather
If all you want from a weather app is a basic forecast and a minimalist design, Geometric Weather is worth a look. This Android app focuses on the essentials rather than on huge amounts of data, offering current weather plus hourly, daily, and weekly forecasts in a clean, pared-back interface.
As a bonus, you can set Geometric Weather to display a basic weather illustration—a sun or a cloud, depending on the forecast—on the background of your home or lock screen. This allows you to get a rough idea of the conditions outside without widgets, indicators, or icons cluttering up your display.
7. RadarScope
On the other hand, if you would describe yourself as a weather enthusiast, you won’t want to miss RadarScope. This app offers something truly special: high-resolution native radar data sourced directly from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In other words, it provides access to the same data that professional meteorologists use to make their forecasts.
As you might expect with an app that offers data this sophisticated, it can take some time to learn how to use RadarScope effectively. However, once you get the hang of it, you’ll be rewarded with the most accurate weather information you can get.