Weather forecast for the week on a digital screen

11 best weather apps for iPhone and Android smartphones 2021

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GearBrain Editorial Team

Jan. 21, 2021 07:50AM EST

Wake up in the morning, and you're almost as likely to check the weather as grab a cup of coffee. Even for those who spend most of their days working from home, knowing if the morning is going to dawn with blue skies or a downpour is something most of is would like to know. But today, there are apps that can tell you far more than the temperature of chance for some precipitation.

These 11 weather apps can be downloaded to your iPhone or Android smartphone, and deliver pollen counts, show satellite readings and even pull radar maps — all helpful, and for some likely fun, in planning your day or even the week ahead.

NOAA Radar Pro

The NOAA Radar Pro app is designed for the those who live in areas where natural disasters are more frequent. The iOS app works on iPhones, iPads and also the iPod touch. Push notifications are sent right to your device when tornadoes, snowstorm and flood warnings have been issued. Hurricane trackers show the most recent path, the current and then the forecasted tracking as well.
You can see both radar and satellite plus both 24-hour and 7-day forecasts, and the app supports multiple languages including Thai, Swedish, Dutch and Indonesian. You will have to pay $4.99 for the app, but the alerts may be worth it for a lot of people.
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Weather Underground

Working on both iOS and Android devices, the Weather Underground app focuses on very local climates, pulling data from more than 250,000 weather stations to deliver its reports. There are rain and snow reports, local weather up to 10 days in advance, UV index, air quality and even local fly outbreak information. This app also works in multiple languages including French, German, Korean and Hindi.
The app is free — but for a bit more, $1.99, you can get your weather ad-free for one year, or pay for a premium experience for $3.99 a month or $19.99 a year.
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Carrot Weather

Carrot Weather is the app designed for those who like a little gaming mixed into their data. Designed for iOS devices, the app costs $4.99 and works on iPhones, iPads, iMessage and the Apple Watch. You can also download it for Android devices as well, which has in-app purchases between $.99 and $3.99.
The twist to Carrot Weather are the fun elements: characters, snarky dialogue and scenery all happening in the background of the app as it delivers forecasts, details on temperature and even lightning strikes. For 2021, there's a new subscription tier on the iOS version, which starts at $14.99, and lets you share the app with up to five additional family members.
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Pixel Weather

This is the app designed for everyone nostalgic about the 1980s, a weather report with a "Space Invaders" bend. Pixel Weather certainly delivers the temperature — that's big and bold in pixelated glory in the center of the screen, but you also get fun icons like rainbows, when the weather is bright and sunny.

The $4.99 app is designed for iOS devices including iPhone, iPad, the iPod touch and Apple Watches, and delivers — aside from the temperature — the UV Index, 12-hour forecast and also a 10-day report. It also supports multiple languages including Turkish, French and Japanese.
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Flowx

Finally, an app that only works on Android devices, Flowx pulls from NOAA and the Canadian Meteorological Center data sources, to present seven to 10 days of forecasts. And surfers will also appreciate the wave and swell forecasts as well. The app is free, but there is a Pro version which pulls from data across the globe. The company is also working on an iOS version, and you can sign up to get notified when that launches — although one year out, and we still haven't seen anything on that front yet.
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Weather Live

Weather Live is just a beautiful app, with forecasts and temperatures spread across backgrounds with sunsets and deep blue skies. You can see three-hour forecasts, along with details on pressure, precipitation and even visibility. The basic version of this iOS and Android app is free, but premium versions start at $1.99 for weekly subscription, $2.99 a month for Pro features, and up to $19.99 for an annual subscription.
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RadarScope

For those who geek on radar maps, this Android app lets you view radar maps that you can zoom into for incredibly specific detail. With RadarScope you can find a hurricane eye wall, but also pick up warnings on tornados, thunderstorms, flash floods and marine warnings as well. The radar updates every two to 10 minutes — and that's why you're paying $9.99 to download this app.
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AccuWeather

Designed for both iOS and Android devices, the AccuWeather free app is one for those who love data and bold graphics. You can grab a two hour forecast that outlines minute by minute what's happening, or go long and check out a 45-day forecast. Data points include UV Index, air quality, dew point, allergens and more.
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Dark Sky

Dark Sky breaks down your day to the minute, so you'll know exactly when the rain will stop. You can also set alerts, based on your locations, of upcoming storms and even hurricanes and there are radar maps as well to grab so you watch the skies — but from your iOS device. Yes, you once were able to use Dark Sky on Android too — but no longer. The app costs $3.99, but there aren't additional in-app purchases to have to pay.
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The Weather Channel

Is there a more informed expert on the weather than The Weather Channel? Likely not. And you can have that expertise delivered right to your device — both iOS and Android — through its dedicated app. Grab real-time rain alerts, forecasts two weeks in advance, and even breaking news videos with closed captioning.
The app is free to download, but some of the premium features are a bit more from $.99 to $29.99 for a premium annual subscription.
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Apple Weather app

You can always — if you're on iOS — just use the Weather app that just sits on iOS. On one screen you can see air quality, the chance of snow, wind direction, humidity and even weather forecasts for up to 9 days, both lows and highs. You can set up to 17 cities in the app as well, and at a glance even know if the sun is up in that part of the world, or it's nighttime, plus the weather there from cloudy skies to snow.
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