Top 5 Weather Apps!

As it’s so nice in the UK at the moment, we got thinking about the weather for this week's Appy Friday. So we are giving you the top 5 weather apps you should have all year round. They range from generic weather forecasts to apps which can help you pick good nights for astronomy and stargazing. So there’s should be at least one of these apps that you’ll think you should be using.

Met Office
Platform: iOS and Android
Cost: Free
The Met Office app has the most reliable information on the weather forecast, it shows the rainfall forecast for the next 24 hours and checks real-time UK national severe weather warnings for your saved locations. The app forecasts the weather for the following 7 days with hourly weather widgets. You can also personalise your weather forecasts by saving your locations so that you can see how the weather will affect your day wherever you are.

My Pollen Forecast UK
Platform: iOS (Android alternative)
Cost: FREE
This app is very useful for those of us with hay fever. This app includes a handy map so you can see which areas near you have the highest pollen count. You can also use this app to track and monitor your symptoms over time, and you can learn which pollens you are most allergic to by adding in diary entries.

Drone UAV Forecast
Platform: iOS and Android
Cost: FREE
This is such a great app if you’re a drone user. It not only shows you the weather forecast, but also GPS satellite coverage, solar activity, No-Fly Zones, and flight restrictions all in one place. Perfect for pretty much all drones or quadcopter pilots.

Dark Sky
Platform: iOS and Android
Cost: £3.99
The Dark Sky app has the forecast down to the minute and will send you push notifications for severe weather alerts and when it’s about to rain or snow. So it’s a great app for monitoring extreme weather conditions. This app is also great to use on the Apple Watch and is a good app to have on the go.

Scope Nights Astronomy Weather
Platform: iOS and Android
Cost: £4.99
This app includes detailed night-time specific astronomy forecasts, as well as colour coded forecasts of moon phase percentage, cloud cover, precipitation probability, relative humidity, minimum temperature, wind direction and wind speeds. The app will also tell you the sunrise and sunset times along with moonrise and moonset time. This app is great for planning which nights will be best for stargazing and which ones won’t be so good this summer.

So, that was this weeks Appy Friday. Personally, the one app that I use regularly is the Met Office app as I find it to be the most reliable for the weekly forecast. Another fun one to try this summer is the Scope Nights Astronomy Weather app as it can give you something different to try this summer. Let us know if you will be downloading or already use one of these apps this year!