For me, climate change is a serious issue. No, I'm not referring to the
debate over global warming. My concerns are much simpler. I'm constantly
checking the weather for the hours and days ahead because deciding to
hike on a rainy day or neglecting to dress warmly can put a damper on a
vacation.
During recent travels, I tried several free weather apps for
the iPhone and Android phones. (Versions for tablet computers also are
available, but I didn't test those extensively.)
I didn't try to
determine which is more accurate at predicting the weather. They are all
generally good, but not error-free. Rather, I evaluated each based on
features and ease of use.
The ones I tested operate similarly on
iPhones and Android phones, though there are some differences in how
information gets presented or accessed. Here's a look at three apps I
recommend
The Weather Channel
When you open this app, the
home screen presents you with current conditions, including temperature,
humidity, wind, visibility, UV index (a gauge of the strength of
ultraviolet radiation) and dew point (which I have yet to figure out a
use for). You also get information on sunrise and sunset times.
Navigating
the tabs, you get hourly forecasts for the next 24 hours on the iPhone
and 15 on the Android. On both, you get daily forecasts for the next 10
days. The Android version doesn't include dates, so you're left to
figure out whether Saturday means this Saturday or next weekend. Click
on "36 Hour" for brief written summaries for today, tonight and
tomorrow.
The map shows you the radar for your region, giving you
an idea of how far away a storm might be. During my travels, I've used
this feature to gauge how quickly heavy rain might pass. You can switch
that to show cloud cover instead of radar, or show both. You can also
add details such as rain or snow over the past 24 hours.
You can
check weather anywhere in the U.S. by entering a city name or ZIP code.
Or click on a target icon for the weather where you are, as determined
by your phone. There's a location icon at the bottom of the Android
version. On the iPhone, you're left to figure out that you need to click
on the magnifying glass or the "i'' button for settings. Flick the
screen left or right to check weather in other locations you have
stored.
The app also offers video of weather forecasts and news,
with those from your city or region coming up first. There are tools for
seeing what people are saying about the weather on Twitter and for
sharing your weather-related photos and video. The app offers a pollen
report; the iPhone version has hurricane and maritime conditions, too.
The Weather Channel says that information is coming to Android next
year, along with longer hourly forecasts.
Conclusion
You get lots
of information on current conditions and the most options of the three
for viewing maps. Limiting hourly forecasts to 24 hours or less is
stingy. On The Weather Channel's website, I get two days of hourly
forecasts.
AccuWeather
The home screen also offers
temperature, humidity, wind, UV index and visibility conditions, plus
sunrise and sunset. The Android version lists wind gusts, not just wind
speeds. The iPhone version has information on dew point, while Android
does not.
AccuWeather goes beyond The Weather Channel in offering
15 days of forecasts, not just 10, and offers dates on both the iPhone
and Android. Its extended forecasts are also more detailed than the
Weather Channel's. You can click on a day to get those details.
Comparable
with The Weather Channel, AccuWeather offers just 24 hours of hourly
forecasts on its app. By contrast, you get more than three days on its
website, and even more with a paid subscription. AccuWeather has more
details than The Weather Channel for each hour, though you're left to
figure out where to flick and touch to get those details.
AccuWeather's map is adequate, but doesn't offer as many options as The Weather Channel's.
As
for location, the Android version has a target icon on the home screen
(it's buried in the other apps) to quickly pull up information on where
you are. That button is not coming to the iPhone for another few months,
so for now, the location is harder to change. Unlike the other apps I
tried, AccuWeather doesn't offer suggestions as you start typing in the
name of a city to switch locations. With big fingers on a small touch
keyboard, I had to type "Sault Ste. Marie" in its entirety for the
sister cities in Michigan and Ontario.
Like The Weather Channel,
AccuWeather offers local, regional and national video. AccuWeather has
special forecasts for certain types of activities - such as golfing,
bicycling and lawn mowing - as well as risks for asthma, flu and
migraines. However, you're just given a one-word assessment, such as
"poor" or "excellent," with no clues as to why it might be a horrible
day to run or ski.
Conclusion
The app could be better with its
hourly forecasts. It also ought to be easier to change locations. The
activities forecasts show promise, though I long for more details.
AccuWeather promises some of these desired features in a few months.
AccuWeather has typically been my first stop for weather information on a
regular computer, but the app leaves me wanting for now - unless I'm
looking for extended forecasts.
WeatherBug
This app's home
screen crams a lot of useful information without clutter. That screen
doesn't give you as much detail as the others on current conditions.
Humidity, dew point and UV index are missing from the Android version,
and neither version has information on visibility, sunset or sunrise.
What you get instead is a graphical forecast for upcoming days today
plus five days for Android and two for the iPhone.
Touch on the
forecast section for additional days and details - though you get only
seven in all, the fewest of the three apps. Click on any day for written
summaries of day and evening forecasts. Then click on that for hourly
forecasts. Yes, that means nearly seven days of hourly forecasts, not
the stingy 24 hours (or less) offered by the other two.
WeatherBug's radar map is OK, but not as versatile as The Weather Channel's.
WeatherBug
doesn't have a target icon on the Android version to help you quickly
get weather for where you are, but it's not really needed. On both the
iPhone and Android, weather automatically updates to your current
location when you have GPS enabled.
Switching locations or adding
one by city or ZIP code is relatively easy, but only the iPhone version
offers suggestions as you type. Once you enter a city, you can narrow
your choice to a specific school, airport or other weather monitoring
station. WeatherBug has placed more than 10,000 of these across the
country. The others offer localized weather by analyzing available data
from government and private sources. From my office in New York, I can
get current conditions at a nearby school rather than a Central Park
station 1.6 miles farther away.
Video is limited to national
forecasts, but still images from several nearby locations let you see
for yourself whether it's raining. A recent update to the WeatherBug app
adds such specialty forecasts as golfing, pollen and dry skin. There
aren't as many choices as AccuWeather's app, but you get more details
for the ones that are available.
Conclusion
I find WeatherBug to
be the easiest to use of the three, and I love the extended hourly
forecasts. It's a good choice as long as you're not looking for a lot of
video and a forecast beyond seven days.