Guide • November 5, 2012

Weather 'Tis Nobler: Weather App Guide 2012

15 outside-the-box weather apps

Yahoo! Weather

1 / 15 Next

The newly launched weather app from Yahoo! leverages content from Flickr to pair cityscape Images with highly accurate weather reporting. The best part? The background images change based on weather conditions and the time of day.

Go to Yahoo! Weather
Voodoo Skies

Prev 2 / 15 Next

People like to talk about the weather. And not just what it’s like today, but how much different it was this time last year. This app compares the current forecast with patterns from years past. It’s a good conversation starter.

Go to Voodoo Skies
Weather Puppy

Prev 3 / 15 Next

The weather . . . plus puppies. (One more time with the slow clap.)

Go to Weather Puppy
YoWindow

Prev 4 / 15 Next

An animated screensaver that changes according to the current conditions and time of day. Choose from stock scenes or upload a landscape photo and the program will convert it for you. Also sports a sweet Chrome extension.

Go to YoWindow
Blue

Prev 5 / 15 Next

Three-day forecasts displayed in hourly color bars generated based on the temperature, humidity, and sunrise/sunset times for your current location.

Go to Blue
Partly Cloudy

Prev 6 / 15 Next

Some people like to open an app and see a number. Some people like to open an app and see a big spinning dial with infographic-style colors, icons, and statistics. This app is for the latter.

Go to Partly Cloudy
Swackett

Prev 7 / 15 Next

There are lots of reasons to check the weather. Chief among them: deciding what to wear. So in addition to facts and figures, Swackett uses restroom door sign mannequins to show you how to dress for the current conditions.

Go to Swackett
Weather Neue

Prev 8 / 15 Next

Lots of snazzy weather apps come with price tags. This one? It’s free. And looks really nice. And just got a much-needed update to make it well worth the price.

Go to Weather Neue
Dark Sky

Prev 9 / 15 Next

Chance of rain. That’s a pretty vague term. This app aims to predict rainfall with a bit more precision – as in, down to the minute. So you can leave the office five minutes earlier and make it to your car dry.

Get DarkSky for iOS or Android
Weather Eye

Prev 10 / 15 Next

When it comes to sweet design, iPhone users seem to get all the attention. If you’re looking for minimalism, quirky icons, and fancy fonts (and you’re holding an Android), this the app for you.

Go to Weather Eye
Weather Pro

Prev 11 / 15 Next

The dirty little secret behind weather apps: Good intel is hard to come by. WeatherPro gets its data from over 2 million locations worldwide, providing incredibly accurate (and almost comically in-depth) local reports.

Go to WeatherPro
Wundermap

Prev 12 / 15 Next

A completely map-based forecast tool that provides hyperlocal temperature, wind, and humidity data. You can also overlay animated radars for precipitation. Put a weatherman in front of it, and you could be watching a local news segment.

Go to Wundermap
Ultraweather

Prev 13 / 15 Next

Hook up your Instagram feed (or anyone else’s, for that matter) and this app will use the photos to create vivid backgrounds for the current and 5-day forecasts.
WeatherCaster

Prev 14 / 15 Next

Of all the things you can do with an iPad, “view the weather” is probably the least exciting. Unless you’re doing it with this app, which includes radar maps, crowd-sourced weather photos, and a glossary of meteorological terms.

Go to WeatherCaster
Solar

Prev 15 / 15

Swipe up for a 24-hour forecast; down for the 3-day forecast. Swipe left and right to change locations and pinch to view them all. Oh, and the background color is determined by the temperature. (Insert slow clap here.)

Go to Solar