What's your favorite weather app?

[haruharu]

Originally Posted by Onno

I use Myradar the most of the various ones I have, because it loads the radar images the fastest. Weather Underground is ludicrously slow and seems always to exaggerate the potential for precip. Dark Sky looks cool, but I rarely use it, I think because you have to switch through so many screens to get the information you want.

I think ill try this next

[Red Tornado]

Weatherbug

[Monsieur Toast]

Originally Posted by charliedid

Bad, in that it doesn't accurately predict those pop up showers? I've been getting that here too but I think those are always hard to predict here in the summer.

I'd read somewhere earlier in the pandemic that weather forecasting had become less accurate for the time being due to less air traffic to use as a data source.

Anecdotally, I've noticed less accurate weather predictions with regards to wind in Northern Nevada the last few months and have been surprised on many a ride by windier than expected conditions.

That said, Dark Sky.

[benb]

Weather Underground has long been my favorite but they were bought by IBM in the last year and it's increasingly nagging for money so I am on the ropes in terms of finding something else.

I've always loved that Wunderground lets you drill down into specific weather stations and look at the logged data on the station.

There's a wunderground station at the end of my street.. looking at the data from that has always been way more accurate than any other site where you have no idea what station it's using.

Also I can cross check with the AFB about a mile way through wunderground which has a more sophisticated weather station.

[MikeD]

https://mobile.weather.gov/#typeLocation and add the bookmark to your home screen on your iPhone or iPad. In my opinion, the National Weather Service has the best weather forecasting.

I also use the Storm Radar and Windalert apps.

[slowpoke]

Originally Posted by MikeD

https://mobile.weather.gov/#typeLocation and add the bookmark to your home screen on your iPhone or iPad. In my opinion, the National Weather Service has the best weather forecasting.

A lot of weather apps and web sites just repackage NOAA/NWS data.

Dark Sky does have their own proprietary algorithm on top of this, but I've noticed for places with known microclimates (i.e. San Francisco), Dark Sky is not that accurate. E.g. last week at 7pm everyone was wearing puffy jackets in July, but Dark Sky said it still 70ºF. Maybe if the sensor is in the Mission, but def not in the foggy Sunset (and this was with 94122 as the zip).

Windy has been pretty good, but their UI is a bit cluttered.

[daker13]

Originally Posted by charliedid

Bad, in that it doesn't accurately predict those pop up showers? I've been getting that here too but I think those are always hard to predict here in the summer.

It doesn't do that well, but I wouldn't expect it to. But also missing whether it's overcast or not, both at the moment and as a forecast, and predicting rain when my area has been dry as a bone all summer, and each thunderstorm has been missing us to the north. I'm probably just aggravated about the drought itself, though.

One thing I'll say, Dark Sky's radar is pretty sad. I have the Windy app on my phone as well, and if you look at Isaias on both apps, only one makes it look like an actual hurricane.

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by slowpoke

A lot of weather apps and web sites just repackage NOAA/NWS data.

I've heard that, but how do you know? When I've compared apps and websites to the NWS forecast, the forecast has been different.

[572cv]

I’m a fan of DarkSky and Windy, but am also getting into Saildrone. Worth checking out.

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by Monsieur Toast

I'd read somewhere earlier in the pandemic that weather forecasting had become less accurate for the time being due to less air traffic to use as a data source.

Anecdotally, I've noticed less accurate weather predictions with regards to wind in Northern Nevada the last few months and have been surprised on many a ride by windier than expected conditions.

That said, Dark Sky.

That is very interesting and would make sense. I think much of it is modeling and then real-time radar. I use radar and still have to take a bit of a guess based on what the wind is doing. I live and ride next to a huge body or water and it throws a wrench.

I think Dark Sky was the first I used where it served my feed based on street address not just the two airports here.

I like apps that make sense to me visually and to many people that means boring :-)

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by daker13

It doesn't do that well, but I wouldn't expect it to. But also missing whether it's overcast or not, both at the moment and as a forecast, and predicting rain when my area has been dry as a bone all summer, and each thunderstorm has been missing us to the north. I'm probably just aggravated about the drought itself, though.

One thing I'll say, Dark Sky's radar is pretty sad. I have the Windy app on my phone as well, and if you look at Isaias on both apps, only one makes it look like an actual hurricane.

I'm able to manage the radar pretty well I'd say. I'll check the Windy app. As I noted earlier the forecasts here are iffy given the lake I live on. I look at wind speed and direction and radar. I want to know what to wear and when to ride.