Weather apps?

gchappel · 04-25-2023, 06:48 AM

Anyone have an iphone weather app that actually works?
I had one, Dark Sky, for years. Pretty darn accurate- and just about perfect for the next 1-3 hours. They were purchased by apple and closed a couple of months ago.
I now use 2 different ones. WeatherBug and the apple weather app.
They are awful.
For instance this morning- one said rain all day, the other said no rain until 5pm. It is cloudy and overcast. Went for a 30mile bike ride anyway- no rain yet at 1030. They often have completely different forecasts. At the same time my wife is on an Android phone using WeatherBug. Sitting in our kitchen my iphone and her android will have completely different forecasts using the same app- weatherbug.
I just want to be able to plan my day, or at least the next couple of hours.
Looking for something better than me looking out the window, watching the radar map and making my own guesses.
Any thoughts or experience would be appreciated.
Thanks
gary

stevej37 · 04-25-2023, 07:01 AM

Even though I have my 'home' set on my Android phone...it will still sometimes use my Comcast hub location....which is 40 miles away. (when using on my wifi)

Makes a big diff for the weather in my area. Maps do the same thing here.

GH85Carrera · GH85Carrera's Garage

I use an app from the local owner TV station.

https://www.news9.com/weather-app.

It works anywhere in the states. I have mine set to alert me if there is lightning within 10 miles of me, and to alert me of thunderstorms, flash floods, and of course tornadoes. It always has my home location, and it follows me, so it can alert me to bad weather to the area I am in wherever I travel.

The Radar coverage is nice.

Best news is it is free.

When the weather is severe, KWTV and all the local TV stations go to "wall to wall" coverage, no commercials or other news, just the weather.

The app will let you know what is going around near you.

TimT · 07:27 AM

I use the Weather Channel app and one other,

RadarNow, which use NOAA and Nexrad.. I actually paid for it.. a whopping $5.99.

Radarnow

Seahawk · 04-25-2023, 08:22 AM

I use two apps, the local folks and Accuweather.

https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/leonardtown/20650/weather-forecast/333548

I like AW's format and info but the local folks in DC (Topper) are excellent and know the local weather eccentricities.

KFC911 · 04-25-2023, 09:02 AM

I've used Accuweather for years .... it thinks I'm in Charlotte or in the middle of TN if I don't specify a location

. The closest two Dopler radars are about 75 miles away .... in Raleigh and SW VA which everyone has used for years. A local weather station was touting their new Doplar radar which is now just a few miles away from me and how it will improve their weather coverage .... I'll probably check them out.

gchappel · 04-25-2023, 10:37 AM

Lots to look at - thanks!!
I am looking at carrot and Accuweather.
We live in the middle of no where- so nothing truly local available.
gary

ltusler · 04-25-2023, 03:29 PM

Any apps or web sites with real time radar? 5 minutes ago does not help.

varmint · 04-25-2023, 03:42 PM

i don't have a recommendation, but will agree that the apple weather app is a steaming pile.

KFC911 · 04-25-2023, 03:48 PM

^^^^ According to the local station, touting their new Doplar radar "here", as opposed to 75 miles away.... due to the curvature of the earth, the further away they are, those radars don't "see" what's happening at the lower levels of storms, etc. They're claiming better analysis, etc. of tornados for our area ....

I hope I never find out if what they say is true

....

Accuweather's radar and future by hour seems pretty good .... and the ability to drill up or down for real time radar views.... seems spot on.

VINMAN · 04-25-2023, 04:08 PM

Iv'e always went straight to NOAA For any of my weather forecasts or concerns.

Only weather app I have is Storm Shield, for severe weather alerts.

.

gchappel · 09:08 AM

Just as a followup. I downloaded carrot and accuweather, also running weatherbug and apple weather.
Day 1. My phone was blowing up with notifications of severe weather in the area. Apple weather had heavy rains starting at 2pm. Weatherbug, heavy rains 3-4pm. Carrot and accuweather heavy rains at 5 pm. It drizzled from 5-7pm. I heard thunder once- far away. I have a davis weather station at the house, we got 0.07 inches of rain.
This morning all the apps had severe overcast conditions- cloud cover 95%- starting at 8am. I am a wildlife photographer and skies/light mean everything. Looked ok to me so I went out for a couple of hours. Perfectly clear skies, not a cloud in sight.
I know weather forecasting is not an exact science, but I have a black 8 ball I can shake and get the same results as these.
Sad I am
gary

KFC911 · 04-26-2023, 06:01 AM

I don't use any apps, just Accuweather on a browser and look at the big radar picture and how systems are moving.

For really accurate weather "real time" .... I go outside

.

Fl, with all the heat and moisture around is hard to project but when I lived in Jax I learned one thing .... no matter how clear it is at 9 am, during the summer it's probably gonna be raining at 4:45 somewhere .... then gone.

berettafan · 04-26-2023, 06:07 AM

For wind only i love Ventusky.

GH85Carrera · GH85Carrera's Garage

The KWTV TV station app I use is from the local owned station. They have only real meteorologists on staff, college graduates all of them. They have the largest staff of storm chasers in the nation. And the radar system is one that only a few places have, a million watt dual pole (it scans in two directions, 180 degrees apart) and it is more advance than what the national weather service in Norman, OK has. They brag all the time about their capabilities.

They are still often wrong.

The amazing thing is they can forecast the conditions will be right for severe weather a week ahead. Sure enough, a week later the Mesocyclones start forming and those nasty spinning things start to pop up. The good news is even the meanest baddest ones only hit a very small area, for those people, it is devastating. Just a few blocks away is normal civilization with all the help and services.

Paul T · 04-26-2023, 08:10 AM

I use Windy and MyRadarPro mostly, both available on Apple. I also use Tide Alert, Lightning, The Moon. Stargazer is also a cool app....

monoflo · 04-26-2023, 09:57 AM

The Weather Channel works great for me

mjohnson · mjohnson's Garage

Even though they got taken by the CableWeatherPeople featuring that guy that straps himself to a telephone pole in a hurricane and now more reality TV than weather - wunderground.com

They didn't change much from its past glory, other than featuring winter storm names on the opening page (so stupid...). Their forecasts also have links to the relevant "NOAA Forecast Discussion" which can be interesting.

Seahawk · 04-26-2023, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

The KWTV TV station app I use is from the local owned station. They have only real meteorologists on staff, college graduates all of them. They have the largest staff of storm chasers in the nation. And the radar system is one that only a few places have, a million watt dual pole (it scans in two directions, 180 degrees apart) and it is more advance than what the national weather service in Norman, OK has. They brag all the time about their capabilities.

They are still often wrong.

When I was stationed in Millington, TN during the week (flew back and forth to Pax) the local weather people were about as dialed in to severe weather as I had seen.

Wrong? Sure. But that part of the world can go ugly early, just like me at the Miramar O'Club on a Wednesday night.

cgarr · cgarr's Garage

I use Weather underground it shows all the personal weather stations for real time temps, rain fall, wind etc.