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TO The weather app was a standout feature of the first iPhone in 2007, and enthusiasm for it hasn’t waned since. While the sophistication of forecasts and the variety of options may have grown exponentially, different apps often provide very different predictions.
Weather institutions record observations using a network of instruments and tend to share them freely, so most weather services start with roughly the same data. But differences arise in how each office analyses and models the data to produce a forecast, and the chaotic nature and complexity of the climate system means that small changes can produce huge variations.
A good weather app may not brighten up this lacklustre British summer, but it can help people prepare for the occasional drizzle or sunshine. Here’s our pick of the five best weather apps.
Best for accuracy: Met Office
Founded in 1854, the Met Office is one of the world’s oldest national weather services and its app is the most popular in the UK. Its supercomputer analyses 215 billion weather observations each day at a rate of 14 billion calculations per second. The resulting model is then fine-tuned by meteorologists to produce a forecast. The process appears to work, as the app was named the most accurate in the World Meteorological Organisation’s weather app awards. As well as hourly and daily forecasts, the app offers a long-range forecast for up to a month and a map showing rainfall and cloud cover for the past six hours and the next five days.
Best for simplicity: BBC Weather
The BBC’s weather app used the Met Office forecast until 2018, but is now run by DTN, formerly known as MeteoGroup. Its output is based on the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMRWF) model, as well as its own internal models. The simple but basic app gives an hour-by-hour forecast for 14 days including temperature, wind, humidity and visibility. The BBC recently revealed that it selects the most pessimistic outlook when choosing a symbol to represent the day’s forecast, making it a good choice if you like to be pleasantly surprised.
Best for extensive data: AccuWeather
US-based AccuWeather claims to collect the most data for its forecasts, incorporating more than 190 weather models, including those from the Met Office. Its app provides minute-by-minute forecasts and a “real” temperature, which takes into account sun intensity, wind, humidity, cloud cover and altitude. It also offers a detailed air quality index and a bewildering array of other variables, such as dew point temperature, indoor humidity and cloud ceiling height. You’ll need to upgrade to the paid version for many of the features, such as 10-day hourly and 90-day long-range forecasts.
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The best option: FlowX
FlowX is an enthusiast app that allows you to compare forecasts from a number of meteorological institutes, including the ECMRWF, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Canadian Meteorological Centre. When you select a forecast, it is displayed on a map and you can scroll forward in time, choosing whether you want to see rainfall, cloud cover, temperature or even wave height or surface ozone levels, so you can then make your own informed judgements about the likelihood of rain or sunshine.
Best for aesthetics: Year
The little-known Yr app is a joint initiative of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation and the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. The latter is almost as old as the Met Office, having been founded in 1866. It’s the most pleasant app to use, with a photorealistic sky that you can scroll through to see what the firmament will look like over the next 48 hours. It also offers accurate forecasts based on your coordinates, rather than searching for the nearest local forecast like most apps, making it ideal for off-grid adventures.