You must have gone on holidays or even to work, thinking the day will be nice and sunny, just to be caught up in the rain, at least a few times a year. Or on the contrary, put on a sweater and a jacket expecting a cold day and then had to carry the extra clothes around with you.
While we all have access to weather forecasts via the built-in apps on our phones or wearables, a lot of times they are not very accurate or downright show us conflicting information.
So, if you are a person who depends on the weather quite a bit, either because of traveling or work, or just so you can best decide what outfit is the best for the day, have a look below at our list of the best weather apps out there.
Dark Sky
Perhaps it’s a little on the nose to start the list with one of the apps that is generally considered to be the weather app out there, but here we are nonetheless.
It features a beautiful design and it’s filled to the brim with features. It is capable of predicting up to an hour in advance how the weather will be like and can tell you everything about the atmospheric pressure in the area you’re in as well.
The downside of the app is that, first, it will cost you $3.99 to purchase it and second, Apple has bought the app in 2020 and thus made it unavailable to Android users. But, if you own an iPhone, this is the first weather app you should look into.
Carrot Weather
If you prefer your apps with a side of sassy, then Carrot is the one for you. The app has won a 2021 Apple Design Award as well and it gives the users the option of choosing a ‘personality’ for it. If you like your weather forecast to be short, sweet and professional, you’ll get it, but if you prefer a more unorthodox approach, then just turn on the snark button and you’ll get what you came for.
The app has a clean, sleek design that’s very streamlined, with all necessary information available at a glance.
The app is free on both iOS and Android but if you are interested in customization, the app does offer the option of a paid tier.
The Weather Channel
This IBM-made app is one of the most downloaded of its kind on the Google Play store and it’s easy to understand why.
It provides the users with a simple design that is easy to understand and navigate and somewhat reminds us of those we normally see on the weather forcast section of the news on TV.
The app also sends out severe weather alerts to the users, daily forecasts that go up to 15 days as well as hourly forecasts. Other feature include a Heat Index, Mosquito Index, Fog, Sweat and Umbrella Index, all of which can be very useful in different seasons.
YoWindow Awesome Weather
Before you scrunch your nose at the name of this app, we’ll have to ask you to hear us out first.
This weather app, in terms of design and interaction is pretty cool: the users can see the weather at the location of their choice in a live landscape, filled with relevant sounds. If you’re feeling creative, you can even create your own!
The app received its information from sources like the National Weather Service, Aeris Weather, Foreca, METAR and Open Weather App, and you can look at the forecasts for up to 14 days in advance.
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It offers six widget options and ten live wallpapers that will keep your updated with the weather in the area. Other feature include a clock that wakes you up with nature sounds, weather maps and a weapther screensaver.
While the app is free, it does come with advertisements, which can be a bit of an annoyance. However, you can get rid of them via either a one-time payment or a monthly or yearly subscription.
Surfline
Alright, this one is a bit of a niche weather app, but it’s still worth mentioning. While it does offer information about the weather, Surfline specializes in weather information for water sport enthusiasts and more specifically, for surfers.
Surfline offers real time frecasts and details about the tides in addition to over 700 surf cams, which allows the users to see how their favorite surf spots look like.
The app is free on both iOS and Android
Geometric Weather
This particular app is a new addition to the Google Play store but it’s doing pretty well so far. If you’re into a simple, straightforward and somewhat minimalistic UI, then this is the one for you.
Geometric Weather gives you access to daily and hourly forecasts to up to 15 days and the users can even choose between two global weather data source choices and three for regional information.
You will receive info on temperature, air quality, wind, UV index, humidity, atmospheric pressure, dew point and cloud cover.
The app has other options like a weather live wallpaper, 11 widget options and even dark mode support. Probably one of the best things about the app is that not only it’s free of ads and in-app purchases but it’s also completely free.
Weather Underground
Another app from IBM, Weather Underground, while its design is very clean and organized, it is also quite sophisticated. The app features maps with weather visualizations added on top of them as well as severe weather alterts and local forecasts.
You can look up daily forecasts up to 15 days in advance (or just 10 without the premium subscription) and receive information regarding air quality and sun and moon times.
The app has dark mode support but only has a single widget you can use and, while it’s free to download and use with ads, you have the option of going premium and getting a monthly or annual subscription.
These are some of the most downloaded and reviewed apps for iOS and Android and, though there are plenty of others out there that should be mentioned, these were (so far) our favorites.
If you are already using one of the apps on this list, let us know in the comments and tell us why you prefer it.
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