Checking the weather is a daily ritual and a requirement. Whether you want just the data in a quick glance or desire an all-round fun weather experience, the right app can make your daily update that much more satisfying.
These aren’t the best weather websites. Old stalwarts like AccuWeather, Weather Underground, and The Weather Channel are at the forefront of online weather information. What you have here is a little more than that. In fact, some of the apps use the data of these reliable old sites and add a little pizzazz.
1. Hello Weather (Android, iOS): Weather at a Glance
Hello Weather is the new darling among weather apps, fast gaining a fan following. Its clean and neat design is the highlight, as the app gives you just what you need to know in a single glance.
You’ll find the current temperature and sky information at the top, followed by what’s coming up in the next few hours. Scroll down for forecasts of the next week. The data is presented in neat icons, graphs, and colors which, once you know what they stand for, you won’t even need to look at the data.
For any additional information, like humidity or pressure, Hello Weather adds an explanation of what the data means for everyday feel, so you don’t have to become a meteorologist. One of the cool features is that you can choose which weather source you want, including the aforementioned three stalwarts.
Download: Hello Weather for Android | iOS (Free)
2. Aerium (Android, iOS): Clean and Simple Weather Info
You shouldn’t need to be a weather expert. Your weather app should be doing that work for you. It should take the data, analyze it, and tell you what you need to do. And there’s finally an app like that in the form of Aerium.
Aerium is quite visual in how it works. Fire up the app and you get a whole screen ablaze in the color of whatever the day outside is looking like. Swipe left and you can set other locations to track their weather.
In general, Aerium is a simple but clear app to figure out the current weather without making a fuss about it. Nice, eh?
Download: Aerium for Android | iOS (Freemium)
3. HumorCast (Chrome, Android, iOS): Weather in Your Browser
HumorCast is a relatively famous weather app that started the trend of using funny messages for weather updates. I still think Carrot is the best snarky weather app, but HumorCast has a new trick up its sleeve: a Chrome extension.
If you spend most of your day staring at a Chrome window, then this is the app you need. That simple extension makes a remarkable difference in the convenience it offers. With one click, you can see the forecast for the next 10 hours, as well as the upcoming week.
And of course, HumorCast is ready with some crazy one-liners to sum up the current weather and mood. You might want to toggle the profanity level in the Settings before you install this on your home computer.
Download: HumorCast for Chrome | Android | iOS (Free)
4. Weather Puppy (Android, iOS): Puppy Pictures Make Everything Better
You know what makes a gloomy day seem much better? Puppies! Frowning puppies, happy puppies, droopy-eyed puppies and other such furry friends are waiting to tell you the day’s weather in this app.
Weather Puppy is actually a robust weather app with plenty of information in it. It uses Weather Underground’s data to give you forecasts, wind predictions, heat zones, and other cool visualizations. But the big seller here is the basic puppy weather forecast.
Look, most of the time, you’re going to quickly look at your weather app and move on. So why not check out a cute puppy photo while at it? And for when you need more details, Weather Puppy has all those available in the heart of the fun weather app. Win-win.
Download: Weather Puppy for Android | iOS (Free)
5. Will It Rain (Web): Answer a Simple Question, No App Needed
Not every location (or person) in the world needs a weather app. For some, the only question to be answered is whether it’s going to rain today or not. And that’s what Will It Rain answers.
Go to the site on your mobile or desktop browser. Either grant it access to your location or add the location yourself. And in a matter of seconds, Will It Rain gives you weather information for the next 10 hours, telling you the chances of rainfall and whether it’s going to be sunny or cloudy.
Have You Checked Out the New Dark Sky?
For the longest time, our go-to weather website was Forecast.io. But now, that was bought over and replaced by Dark Sky, the excellent Mac weather app.
You can still use Dark Sky on the web or different mobile apps for all your weather forecast needs. But hey, it’s paid, so the aforementioned free apps are probably better to start with.
