Access to weather reports is an important component of our day. We all know how weather affects businesses such as delaying commuters, canceling events, disrupting deliveries, and more – we all need accurate data on weather patterns. Besides this bad weather leads to poor online reviews as reviewers are more inclined to pen negative online reviews on days with bad weather. Thanks to modern technology we now have access to weather reports within our palms thanks to weather apps on our phones. Today rather than relying on regular news broadcasts we can access weather reports 24/7 through our mobile devices.
Choosing the Best Weather App for Small Businesses: Our Methodology
Selecting the right weather app for your small business is essential to ensure you stay informed and prepared for any weather-related challenges that may impact your operations. At [Website Name], we take the guesswork out of this decision-making process. We’ve developed a set of criteria that every small business owner or entrepreneur should consider when choosing the best weather app. Each criterion is rated on a scale of importance from 1 to 10, helping you prioritize the features that matter most for your specific needs.
- Accuracy (9/10): Accurate weather forecasts are crucial for making informed decisions about your business operations.
- Coverage (8/10): Ensure the app provides weather data for your specific location or locations if your business operates in multiple areas.
- Real-time Updates (9/10): Timely updates are vital to stay ahead of any sudden weather changes that could affect your business.
- User-Friendly Interface (7/10): A simple and intuitive app design makes it easier for you and your team to access and understand weather information.
- Customizable Alerts (8/10): The ability to set customized weather alerts for specific conditions like storms, snow, or extreme temperatures is a valuable feature.
- Long-Term Forecasting (7/10): Some businesses require long-term weather forecasts for planning purposes, so consider this when choosing an app.
- Interactive Maps (6/10): Maps with overlays for radar, satellite imagery, and more can provide valuable visual context for weather conditions.
- Historical Data (7/10): Access to past weather data can help you analyze trends and better prepare for future weather events.
- Push Notifications (8/10): Instant notifications to your mobile device ensure you’re aware of critical weather updates, even when you’re on the go.
- Cost (6/10): Evaluate the pricing structure of the app and whether it aligns with your budget.
- Customer Support (8/10): Reliable customer support can be invaluable if you encounter any issues or have questions about the app.
- Compatibility (9/10): Ensure the app is compatible with your devices, whether you use iOS, Android, or both.
- Data Privacy (9/10): Protecting your business data is crucial, so choose an app that respects your privacy and data security.
- Additional Features (6/10): Consider any extra features the app offers, such as severe weather tracking, UV index, or pollen forecasts, based on your business’s specific needs.
- Long-Term Viability (9/10): Select an app that you can rely on for the long term to support your business’s weather-related decision-making.
| Criteria | Importance (1-10) |
|---|---|
| Accuracy | 9 |
| Coverage | 8 |
| Real-time Updates | 9 |
| User-Friendly Interface | 7 |
| Customizable Alerts | 8 |
| Long-Term Forecasting | 7 |
| Interactive Maps | 6 |
| Historical Data | 7 |
| Push Notifications | 8 |
| Cost | 6 |
| Customer Support | 8 |
| Compatibility | 9 |
| Data Privacy | 9 |
| Additional Features | 6 |
| Long-Term Viability | 9 |
Best Free Weather Apps
There are plenty of free weather apps that offer up-to-date weather forecasts. Here are our best weather apps that are available on the Google Play Store and/or Apple App Store.
1. Weather Channel App
The Weather Channel app comes with a rain radar, storm tracker, and severe weather warnings that help users to prepare for unexpected weather. It offers a daily forecast tracking page that keeps users informed with live rain and precipitation updates by the hour. The Weather Channel premium pro plan offers robust features and comes with a $4.99 monthly subscription.
Available on: iOS and Android.
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2. Clime: NOAA Weather Radar Live
The Clime weather app offers real-time radar images, severe weather alerts, accurate weather forecasts, and more. Its radar overlay shows the areas of rain, snow, and mixed precipitation in high resolution on the interactive map. Users have the option to choose between standard, hybrid, and satellite maps to search locations, add them to bookmarks, and receive push notifications whenever there’s a weather alert for the bookmarked location.
Available on: iOS and Android.
3. Accu Weather – Best for Severe Weather Alerts
Accu weather app offers weather forecasts, and precipitation updates including severe weather alerts, temperature, precipitation, and allergy outlooks. Its daily forecasts include rain probability, cloud coverage, wind, live radar, air quality index, snowfall, and even UV index. Its advanced weather radar gives users up to the minute views of storm tracks, snow, rain, ice, temperature changes, and much more
Available on: iOS and Android.
4. Weather Underground
The Weather Underground app offers accurate weather reports and provides forecasts with data points from 250,000+ personal weather stations across the globe. Its interactive map comes with radar, high-resolution satellite imagery, severe weather alerts, and more.
Available on: Weather Underground is available both on iOS and Android.
5. Flowx
Flowx helps users visualize local weather forecasts through weather maps and graphs. With it, users can swipe to control the forecast animation over time and even choose multiple data layers to display on the map, and easily switch between models. Flowx offers data in terms of precipitation, snow, radar, cloud, temperature, wind, and more.
Available on: Currently available only on android.
6. Weather Up
Weather Up lets you see layers of weather data right on the map, with upcoming weather patterns data available at a glance. Its event forecasts let you keep tabs on the weather for upcoming calendar events. In addition, you get hourly and 10-day forecasts; a weather map with free weather radar maps, clouds, widgets to quickly check the weather, and more.
Available on: Currently available only on iOS.
7. Yahoo Weather
Yahoo’s weather app offers the option of 5-day, and 10-day weather information coupled with Flickr photos to match your location, time of day, and current weather conditions. You also get free weather alerts and forecasts on wind, pressure, and the chance of precipitation along with animated sunrise, sunset, wind, and pressure modules. You can even track all your favorite cities and destinations through interactive maps.
Available on: iOS and Android.
| Weather App | Features | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Weather Channel App | - Rain radar, storm tracker, and severe weather warnings; Daily forecast tracking; Premium pro plan available for $4.99/month | iOS and Android |
| Clime: NOAA Weather Radar Live | - Real-time radar images; Severe weather alerts; Radar overlay; Push notifications | iOS and Android |
| Accu Weather | - Weather forecasts and precipitation updates; Severe weather alerts; Advanced weather radar; Daily forecasts | iOS and Android |
| Weather Underground | - Accurate weather reports; Forecasts from personal weather stations; Interactive map; High-resolution imagery | iOS and Android |
| Flowx | - Visualize local weather forecasts through maps and graphs; Multiple data layers; Data on precipitation, snow, radar, etc. | Currently on Android |
| Weather Up | - View weather data on maps; Event forecasts; Hourly and 10-day forecasts; Weather radar maps | Currently on iOS |
| Yahoo Weather | - 5-day and 10-day weather information; Flickr photos; Free weather alerts; Interactive maps | iOS and Android |
Best Weather Forecast Apps (Paid)
Free weather forecast apps might offer you some of the basic features to monitor the weather. If you are looking for a solution that offers robust features you might want to look towards paid apps where you pay upfront for the app or through subscriptions. Below are some best weather apps that come with subscriptions.
8. Carrot Weather
Carrot weather app’s interface gives users quick access to their current, hourly, and daily forecasts. Users through its customization suite can change layouts, add data points, and more. Or just tap anywhere for more meteorological goodness. With the Carrot Weather app, you get a heads up on incoming precipitation and weather alerts or receive a daily summary of the weather for the upcoming day as well.
Available on: iOS and Android.
Pricing: Carrot comes with a $4.99 a month subscription or a $19.99 annually though a free version is available for you to try.
9. Dark Sky
Dark Sky offers down-to-the-minute weather forecasts and information on your location. It comes with animations that show the path of the storms while also getting notified of severe weather alerts or even creating your own custom notifications covering the next 24 hours for things such as temperature, wind, precipitation, and more.
Available on: Currently available only on iOS.
Pricing: Dark Sky comes with a monthly subscription of $3.99.
10. MyRadar
MyRadar app comes with a fast, easy-to-use weather app that displays animated weather radar around your current location. It offers users a fast snapshot of the weather on the go coup0led with weather and environmentally-related data layers that you can overlay on top of the map. In addition to the data layers, it sends send weather and environmental alerts, including alerts from the National Weather Center, such as Tornado and Severe Weather alerts.
Available on: iOS and Android.
Pricing: Its ads-free version comes with a $3.99 monthly subscription.
11. Weather by Tomorrow
Weather by Tomorrow app offers users access to a robust weather app and useful features. In addition to letting users see standard weather data such as temperature, wind direction, and humidity they also can access air quality, visibility, sunrise and sunset, and more. Users also get By-the-minute, by-the-street forecasts up to three hours ahead in high resolution with weather analysis at 500 meters resolution.
Available on: iOS and Android.
Pricing: Weather by Tomorrow’s premium plan comes with a $ 2.99 monthly subscription there is also a free version available.
12. YoWindow Weather
YoWindow Weather app offers real-time weather forecasts accompanied by a vivid background that changes based on the user’s local forecasts. It comes with a handy location search and offers the option of over 700 photographs of cities around the world.
Available on: iOS and Android.
Pricing: YoWindow Weather plan comes with a $ 0.99 monthly subscription.
What is the best weather app in the US?
AccuWeather has been considered the best weather app thanks to the accuracy of its forecasts. It comes with all the bells and whistles a weather app might offer and includes details on wind speed, solar ultraviolet radiation (UV) levels, humidity, cloud cover, visibility, and more.
What is the best free weather app for Android?
The Weather Channel app is considered the best free mobile weather app offering accurate weather radar, weather tracker, and severe weather warnings that help users to prepare for unexpected weather. It offers little flashcards that show key data such as precipitation risk and sunset time in a rotating carousel for easy visualization.
Image: Depositphotos
