If you were among those who had problems with their Apple weather app last month, you’re not alone. Keeping an eye on the forecast for practical reasons (what to wear, outdoor plans) is important. And knowing the forecast is especially critical when wild weather hits, whether it’s dealing with flooding, hurricanes, or just a good ol’ fashioned thunderstorm.
But after Apple’s weather app went down last week, users started questioning why Dark Sky, which Apple bought in 2020, was killed, forcing people to use Apple Weather instead. Apple removed Dark Sky from the App Store in January, and while features like hyper-local forecasts and next-hour precipitation predictions are now in Apple Weather, the app’s stability and interface still leaves much to be desired.
For those moments when Apple Weather isn’t working out, we’ve compiled a list of nine solid alternatives. Most of these apps have at least one killer feature that Apple Weather doesn’t, so jilted Dark Sky fans might even find a new favourite here.
Carrot Weather
This weather app injects your weather report with a touch of personality. You can select which personality Carrot Weather has from a list of options, from Professional to Overkill. The first will remove any banter, while the latter is akin to the treatment you’d receive at a Dick’s Last Resort restaurant. In other words… think rude.
“Overkill” includes profanity and allows you to choose the level of political commentary your app gives you, which includes Apolitical, Centrist, Liberal, Conservative, Libertarian, Communist, and Anarchist.
When selecting the Overkill option, the special weather statement greets you with, “Today is a perfect day to decide you would look cooler with one eye instead of two.” Each reload of the site shows a new comment, such as “The sun is fucking bright,” or “Fuck your sun, fuck your planet, and fuck you.”
The Snarky personality is slightly toned down with comments like, “Today is a perfect day to defeat your archenemy” or “It’s so nice out, but you’ll probably get stung by a bee.”
Users have access to daily temperatures, weather conditions, and future forecasts and can view the current moon phase and UV index.
NOAA Weather Radar Live
This option stands out as a weather app by providing current cloud coverage information but also info on snow levels and active fires and hotspots in the region.
Although the app does provide the same information as others, including the current temperature, the chance of rain, and real feel temperature, it focuses on the hourly radar, which is the first thing you’ll see when you open the app.
Users who pay for a subscription to NOAA will be able to access more than just the incoming rain or snow; instead, it will also offer the wind speed, current fires, and snow depth, and will track incoming hurricanes. As for storms, instead of counting the seconds between a flash of lightning and thunder, the app will monitor the lightning strikes for you, to specify when the storm is hitting.
TV Station Weather Apps – Pix11 News
Local TV station apps are similar to any other in that they provide 10-day forecasts, the chance of precipitation, and a radar. The difference is these apps will also usually provide an accompanying video or text forecast that gets personally updated by the station’s meteorologist. It’s also helpful that they’re usually focused on providing hyper-local information.
One example is Pix11 News, created by a New York City news station that offers an hourly forecast video and a ten-day forecast focusing on precipitation, temperature, and cloud coverage.
Windy.com
Windy.com takes a new direction when it comes to weather forecasts by translating weather data into animated illustrations, indicating such details as wind speed and direction as well as using colours to show snow depth data. The app also has a sidebar that provides additional information about dust density and active fires in your region.
Fox Weather
Fox Weather offers users a 3D radar view with a never-ending live stream of upcoming weather and the news surrounding it.
You can check out the weather for the day with this app’s weather maps, trackers, storm trackers, and storm alerts.
Weather Underground
Weather Underground sends users information from more than 250,000 weather stations that are local to the user and provides weather information to most major cities worldwide.
Functionality-wise, this app isn’t much different than other apps like The Weather Channel app (which we’ll get to). It gives you the current temperatures, weather conditions, and live radar. However, it does give the rundown on the conditions and temperatures over the last 24 hours, with a glossary to understand the weather terms.
WeatherBug
This lesser-known app is tailored to those with outdoorsy tendencies, with a Sports Index that lets users know how ideal the conditions are for heading to the trails for a hike, fishing, camping, or whatever else you’re into.
But what sets it apart is this: if the ranking hovers at one to two, it gives the user the go-ahead to head outside. But if the score is a nine or 10, the app suggests you cancel those plans.
Like other apps, WeatherBug shows specific weather information including the daily temperature, weather conditions, and humidity level. But a different and slightly strange aspect of this app is that the user can access cameras located in the area they’re checking the weather for to get a live street view. We guess it’s to provide a live look at the weather? Either way, a little unsettling.
AccuWeather
AccuWeather provides users with a 15-day forecast and shows specific weather data like the percentage of rain headed to your area and a three-hour window for the weather radar.
Not only will this app give you updates on the weather, but it will also inform you of how the weather will affect allergies. A tab on the homepage will help you find which allergies are being stirred up, and the app also provides alerts at the top of the page.
The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel is consistently ranked as the most accurate weather app by Forecast Advisor. The app allows users to zoom into the radar, focusing on a specific location right down to the street level, and has a six-hour radar option to see the weather moving through your area.
This app will also provide you with hourly temperatures and a 10-day forecast, and will notify you of severe weather headed to your area.