Pack an app, not your mac
IT’S SUMMER... IT’S BRITAIN... SO YOU NEED TO CARRY CLOTHING FOR ALL EVENTUALITIES, JUST IN CASE ...WELL MAYBE NOT IF YOU USE SOME OF THIS TECHNOLOGY
THERE’S certainly been a lot of weather about, hasn’t there?
From scorching temperatures, though to thunderstorms and squally showers - we’ve had almost everything this last month. Expect snow soon.
The weather in the UK is so varied from area to area and day to day it pays to stay ahead of the clouds and be ready for anything with a good weather app.
Most of us will stick with the stock app that comes with our phones, but if you want something a bit different or a bit more indepth, try these out. You’ll never get caught in the rain without your brolly again.
MET OFFICE WEATHER
They say:The Met Office weather app gives you worldleading weather forecasts direct from the Met Office experts. We say: The Met Office is, obviously, the official forecast source in the UK, and as such provides the most traditional approach. The added advantage is that it can notify you directly of any severe weather warnings, locally and nationally, so you don’t miss knowing when something particularly nasty is heading your way… something sadly likely to be more useful in the months and years ahead than it has been. Cost: Free with ads, £2.49 for ad-free version
WEATHER UNDERGROUND
They say: Discover a reliable, real-time and hyper-local forecast that will always warn you about upcoming severe weather.
We say: : Weather Underground isn’t built on the same sources as most weather apps - it relies on a network of thousands of personal and amateur weather stations across the globe to accurately report on what’s happening right now.
That data is crunched to make for the most accurate hyper-local forecasts possible – and by all accounts the results are as reliable as forecasts get. The best feature is advanced warning of severe weather, so you’ll always know what’s coming your way.
The app also features your standard weather metrics – air quality index, UV index, local flu outbreaks, sunrise and sunset and moonrise and moonset
Cost: Free with ads, premium £3.99/ month, £19.49/year
(NOT BORING) WEATHER
They say: WEATHER LIKE YOU’VE NEVER SEEN IT.
We say: (Not Boring) Weather is an attempt on behalf of celebrated app designer Andy Allen to bring some fun back to the world of software.
Weather is part of a suite of apps that includes a habit tracker, a timer, and a calculator to do just that - they’re fun but useful, simple and yet powerful. Weather aims to be both ultra-reliable, while committing to displaying the data in a visually appealing but highly accurate way - cloud graphics are not stock drawn, but generated using real-time, real-life data. Yes, definitely not boring. Alas, the Not Boring apps are iOS only. Cost: £1.79/month, £14.99/year for the whole Not Boring suite
AIRVISUAL AIR QUALITY
They say: The most trusted and reliable air quality information brought to you from the world’s leading air pollution data provider.
We say: Not a weather app like the others, AirVisual Air Quality focuses on one element of the environment in which you live, and resolves to give you the most information it can about it.
The system tracks key air pollutants like PM2.5, PM10, Ozone, NO2, CO2, and SO2, and presents the data to you in a beautiful, simple display. As a result it’s able to offer advice about how to minimise your risks, and is especially useful to those who suffer from chronic respiratory disorders like asthma.
Cost: Free