5 terrific weather apps you may have overlooked

There’s certainly no shortage of weather apps out there, but you’d be forgiven for believing that The Weather Channel, AccuWeather, and a shortlist of other big-name offerings were the only ones worth downloading. Here’s a look at some hidden gems you might not know about.

Dark Sky

Dark Sky (iOS) is a hyperlocal, to-the-minute weather app that impressed Apple enough that it bought the company behind it. That means it’s an iOS exclusive, which is a bummer for Android users because the app is indeed very good. Available in the U.S., UK, and Ireland for a one-time outlay of four bucks, Dark Sky uses a uniquely accurate method of telling you the weather based on an algorithm that takes into account factors such as current conditions, your exact location, the time of day, and weather patterns.

Flowx

OK, Android users: here’s your exclusive. Flowx (Android) is another intelligent weather app—albeit this time Android-only—that aims to provide the best possible weather reports by pulling in data from a whole bunch of sources. By doing so, it lets you compare multiple predicted weather patterns to get a good idea of how likely you are (or aren’t) to getting caught in the rain. There’s also a cool swipe feature you can use to animate the paths of wind, waves, and storms.

The free version forecasts seven days out and pulls data from nine sources, while bronze, silver, and gold plans are available for $20 a year or less and offer additional data sources, longer forecast ranges, and more in-depth mapping options.

Clime

The Clime (Android, iOS) app serves up beautiful, customizable radar imagery straight from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and alerts you to current and future weather events in your area, including severe precipitation and more.

The free, ad-supported version has plenty to like, so try that out first. The premium version runs $20 a year and adds unlimited alerts for saved locations, higher accuracy rain forecasts, lightning tracker, and no ads.

MyRadar

It’s not an easy trick, but MyRadar (Android, iOS) somehow manages to be easy to use while at the same time serving up an almost dizzying array of functionality, including a power-outage tracker and daily video forecasts.

The free version of the app should be more than enough for casual weather watchers, while the premium options include an a-la-carte menu of available additions—such as aviation charts, radar packs, smartwatch access, and hurricane tracking —or the ability to unlock multiple features for $25.

Yahoo Weather

Simple, beautiful, easy to use. That’s Yahoo Weather (Android, iOS) for you.

This freebie is the perfect answer for someone who’s just looking for a solid, all-around weather app. It’s detailed enough without being overly complicated, including hourly, five-day, and 10-day forecasts, maps, humidity, wind, precipitation odds, sunrise/sunset data, and that’s about it—all displayed in a very handsome, very scrollable interface. Even if it’s been years since you partook in anything with “Yahoo” in its name, this is worth the download.