Weather Apps for Adventurers » Explorersweb (2024)

If you’re researching typical weather conditions for your next adventure, or are lucky enough to have internet access in the field, new, interactive weather apps can give you the precise status on everything from wave heights to wind speed to snow depth. The best thing is that they are free! These sites use animated graphics overlaid on maps to display an intuitively clear overview.

One of the best is windy.com, which also features mobile apps for both iOS and Android. The brain-child of Czech multi-millionaire Ivo Lukakovic, Windy draws from a range of globally recognized weather prediction models and allows you to view both current and future conditions anywhere in the world.


Live temperature overlay from Southern Patagonia. Click on the top right tab to display different data overlays. Embed: windy.com

With a simple selection tool, you can cycle between wind, rain, lightning, temperature, cloud cover, wave height and over 20 other categories. Color-coded heat maps show red spots in hotter areas or in places with high winds or heavy rain, while blue zones are cool, dry and calm. Pretty simple, eh?! Animated particles represent the direction of wind, waves and currents, and rulers at the bottom of the map show reported wind speed, temperature, air pressure and forecasted weather. Clicking on a point on the map brings up other layers of information, such as the altitude at which the temperature dips below 0C.

Weather Apps for Adventurers » Explorersweb (1)

Ocean currents in the Atlantic, guaranteed to get ocean rowers salivating. Photo: windy.com

Scrolling along the bottom of the screen moves the view from real time to up to 10 days in advance. Users can also set-up email alerts for specific conditions, such as waves above 3 meters: Surf’s up, dude — let’s hit the beach!


Hurricane Willa, currently raging off the west coast of Mexico as of October 23, 2018. Source: Windy.com

Windy is such a powerful tool that millions of users flock to it during severe weather. Ruben Lenten—one of the best kiteboarders in the world, even uses it to scope out the best kiting spots.

Just one downside: There does not seem to be a way to view historical data, so you won’t be able to get a good sense of what to expect in some unfamiliar destination next January by viewing previous January conditions.

A second, similar service, VentuSky.com, is coincidentally also based in the Czech Republic. As with Windy, VentuSky provides real-time and 10-day advance information using animated particles to depict density and direction of weather features, which is overlaid alongside heat mapping. Also like Windy, iOS and Android apps are available. VentuSky uses slightly different climate models, and it allows such nuanced choices as the height of wind speed measurements, for example, 10m, 100m or 250m above the ground.

Weather Apps for Adventurers » Explorersweb (2)

The animated wave overlay on VentuSky. Photo: Ventusky.com

In other ways, VentuSky has fewer options than Windy, with only 10 overlays available, including the mainstays of temperature, windspeed and rainfall. There also isn’t the ability to set email alerts, and you can’t view webcam pictures or forecasted weather markers, as on Windy. It does, however, provide historical data, so shines for pre-expedition research. This historical view is one click away, on the tab that crosses the bottom of the window.

Weather Apps for Adventurers » Explorersweb (3)

ExWeb owner Rowan faces a gentle breeze of 7 kph in his home city of Osaka. Photo: Ventusky.com

You don’t need to be a computer whiz to learn how to use either site. They’re completely intuitive. It took me less than five minutes to change overlays, pull up forecast data and switch between different data streams, such as from the Global Forecast System to the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.

These two are the most popular but they aren’t the only weather visualization tools. Meteoearth.com and Openweathermap.org give similar, though less powerful, services. MeteoEarth has 6 only overlays and 24 hour forecasting capabilities, and OpenWeatherMap has 5 overlays and no forecasting options or data animation.

Many more sites will likely appear in future, as a creative coder with access to climate model data (via an API key, which allows smart guys to tap into and siphon off the weather data) could set up a service in a relatively short time.

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MeteoEarth.com in precipitation mode. Photo: meteoearth.com

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OpenWeatherMap.com in wind speed mode. The main drawback with this site is that it lacks both forecasting options and real-time animation. Photo: openweathermap.com

Here at ExWeb, we’d love to hear your experiences with Windy or VentuSky, good or bad, in the comments section below.


Links and Acknowledgements

Thanks to Tedde de Boer for information on Windy.com

www.windy.com

www.ventusky.com

Weather Apps for Adventurers » Explorersweb (2024)

FAQs

Weather Apps for Adventurers » Explorersweb? ›

One of the best is windy.com, which also features mobile apps for both iOS and Android. The brain-child of Czech multi-millionaire Ivo Lukakovic, Windy draws from a range of globally recognized weather prediction models and allows you to view both current and future conditions anywhere in the world.

What weather app do pilots use? ›

The AeroPlus Aviation Weather app brings professional weather forecasting features to every serious pilot. The app presents pilots with the well known Meteorological Aerodrome Reports (METAR) and Terminal Aerodome Forecasts (TAF) data in an intuitive and visual way.

What is the best weather app for Rvers? ›

RV Weather is a reliable and complete weather service for anyone traveling in the US, whether with an RV, trailer; or just in a car.

What is the most consistent weather app? ›

  • AccuWeather is renowned for its detailed and accurate forecasts, making it a popular choice among users. ...
  • Weather Underground stands out for its unique approach, sourcing data from a vast network of personal weather stations for hyper-local forecasts.

What weather apps do meteorologists use? ›

The service does not have an app of its own, but private sites like AccuWeather and Weather.com take NOAA's data and provide forecasts that can vary in style, weightings and accuracy. (The lack of an official NOAA weather app hasn't prevented a slate of very official-sounding alternatives.)

What weather website do pilots use? ›

Aviation Weather Center (AWC)

What apps do most pilots use? ›

Top 10 Apps For Pilots
  • ForeFlight Mobile. This is definitely a must-have for every pilot. ...
  • Garmin Pilot. Garmin has been creating navigation products for pilots for a long time now. ...
  • MyRadar. Very simple and easy to use free app. ...
  • Sporty's E6B. ...
  • CloudTopper. ...
  • FltPlan Go. ...
  • WingX. ...
  • Takeoff.

What is the best weather app for travelers? ›

AccuWeather – It will show you exactly when the rain will start. It has a radar which you can use to know where the storm is coming from. There is a platinum version available which goes at $3.99, it removes all ads and can offer up to 25 day forecast. It has a background which mimics the exact appearance of the sky.

What is the Sunseeker weather app? ›

Sunseeker is a comprehensive solar tracking & compass app. It shows the sun's hourly direction intervals, its equinox, winter & summer solstice paths, sunrise sunset times, twilight times, sun shadow, the golden hour & more.

Is there an app that shows weather on a driving route? ›

The Drive Weather app presents weather, wind speed and direction, temperatures, and radar along with other tools to help plan your road trip to avoid the bad weather and stay safe.

What is the #1 weather app? ›

Trusted by 100 Million+ users across the world, the 1Weather app will keep you weather-ready, every day. Stay prepared with minute-by-minute forecast and precipitation up to 48 hours in advance.

Is there a better weather app than AccuWeather? ›

1Weather (Android, iOS: Free)

1Weather has all the features you'd expect from one of the best weather apps, including a 10-day forecast, live radar maps, severe weather warnings and more.

What weather app is 100% accurate for free? ›

Comparison Table
App NameKey Features
The Weather ChannelComprehensive forecasts, radar, news
AccuWeatherMinute-by-minute updates, severe weather alerts
WeatherBugIn-depth data, real-time alerts, air quality
Carrot WeatherHumorous forecasts, customization
1 more row
Aug 22, 2024

What weather app is powered by NoAA? ›

The NOAA Radar and Weather Forecast app offers you the best radar map available on the store with more than 35 real-time and hyper accurate weather layers to choose from in order to plan your perfect day, week or vacation.

How accurate is the Noaa weather app? ›

The Short Answer: A seven-day forecast can accurately predict the weather about 80 percent of the time and a five-day forecast can accurately predict the weather approximately 90 percent of the time.

What weather app do storm chasers use? ›

If you're ready to start chasing down storms yourself, or you want to take your storm tracking to the next level, RadarScope is the storm weather app for you. Used by professionals in the field, RadarScope lives up to its name with an intense focus on all things radar.

Which weather forecast do pilots use? ›

Use METARs and TAFs Together

METARs and TAFs are most powerful when used together. METARs provide the current conditions, while TAFs give you a forecast, allowing you to plan your flight with both immediate and future weather in mind.

What is the FAA weather program? ›

The FAA Aviation Weather Research Program (AWRP) researches applied weather to minimize the impact of weather on the National Airspace System (NAS).

What is FAA weather technology in the cockpit? ›

The Weather Technology in the Cockpit (WTIC) program is an FAA NextGen weather research program that researches how weather is presented to pilots and what information is insufficient or missing, and potential means to deliver enhanced weather information, presentations and technology for the cockpit.

Is ForeFlight official weather? ›

ForeFlight's weather, NOTAM, and airport information come from federal regulatory agencies. Pilots may want proof or a record of having received a briefing so that they can prove they met the requirements under §91.103 in the event of an incident.

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