If you’re a weather junkie, the first thing you do in the morning is turn on the news to get the weather forecast. But which channel? Or, which website? Most weather nerds will have a favorite, the most “trusted” source, the one who “always gets it right.” Weather sites these days deliver much more than just the high and low temperatures and whether you need an umbrella or gloves. They provide hyper-local, minute-by-minute precipitation graphs, emergency weather alerts, and air quality information, including allergen reports. And accessing the sites via your computer (versus the associated apps on your phone), will provide better access to the rich data maps that the best sites provide.
Some of the important things to consider when choosing a weather website:
Forecast Accuracy
Weather forecasts are based on data that is collected by weather stations and other sources from around the world. That information is fed into supercomputers that generate the forecast based on weather models. The best weather sites use weather models with accuracy rates that hover around 85 percent. For any given location, though, one site’s weather model may have better local data than another. This is especially true for sites that include data from personal weather stations.
Design
The best sites let you see the day’s forecast at a glance, including temperature highs and lows, how cold it feels (the “real feel”), and whether you’ll need an umbrella later in the day. If there is dangerous weather in your area, a weather advisory is clearly visible.
Weather maps
For those that want a deeper dive into the data, some sites offer a range of map data beyond the standard radar map. The Weather Channel and Weather Underground, which are both owned by The Weather Company, have the richest sets of map data. However, The Weather Channel’s map has more data sets to view than Weather Underground and the interface is easier to use and read.
So, based on this info, which sites give the “best” forecasts? According to techlicious.com, the best overall weather webiste is The Weather Channel, ranked as the best weather site for most people, offering an accurate forecast that’s easy to read, high-quality weather-related news, and an interactive map that is easy to use and delivers a lot of detailed information. While there are ads, they don’t significantly detract from the viewing experience, and you can choose to go ad-free with a premium subscription ($4.99 per month or $29.99 per year).
That being said, if you’re looking for specific local forecasts, Of all the weather sites, AccuWeather does the best job of delivering your local forecast. Like The Weather Channel, AccuWeather consistently ranks within the top three sites for forecast accuracy. In addition, it has a proprietary forecasting tool that provides a highly-precise hyperlocal near-term forecast, which AccuWeather calls Minutecast. Through Minutecast, you’ll to-the-minute predictions of any weather that’s expected in the next 120 minutes. So, if you want to know if you have time to walk the dog before the rain starts, Minutecast provides a quick answer.
If you need access to specific weather stations, like the weather on the top of a ski mountain, along the coast where you will be boating, or near a field for your son’s afternoon soccer game, Weather Underground is the best choice for you. The site will automatically pull from weather stations near your current location, but you can select Change next to the weather station name and select any station from its database of more than 250,000 sites. In many locations, especially more rural areas, Weather Underground is ranked highly by Forecast Watch.
If you just can’t deal with ads, for a clean, ad-free weather site, Dark Sky delivers the best experience. The site, which was acquired by Apple in March 2020, has a spartan design that uses text, colors, and icons to deliver your local forecast in a compelling way. Dark Sky isn’t as consistently ranked for weather forecast accuracy as The Weather Channel and AccuWeather, but it does rank well in many locations, so be sure to check your location on ForecastAdvisor.
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