The Best Weather Apps for Windows 10 PC and Mobile
http://xpeco.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-best-weather-apps-for-windows-10-pc.html
Whether it is checking on the snow forecast for the slopes or the severe weather chances, everyone has an interest in what Mother Nature has in store. The Windows 10 Store has a healthy collection of weather apps that are more than capable of keeping you informed on the weather.
This week's roundup will take a look at some of the best weather apps the Store has to offer, focusing on the Windows 10 PC and Mobile versions of these apps. These weather titles are considered the best in the Store through the user ratings.
While some of these titles will be familiar with some of our readers, with the Holidays bringing new computers and tablets to households, we wanted to revisit things for those new to Windows 10. In the event we have overlooked your favorite Windows 10 weather app, feel free to toss out your recommendation in the comments below. Keep in mind that we are focusing on Windows 10 apps and recognize that there are plenty of quality weather apps available in the Windows Phone Store (Appy Weather, Amazing Weather HD, etc.).
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1. THE WEATHER CHANNEL
The Weather Channel has been a leader in weather information for years and their Windows 10 app strives to offer you the best radar, local forecasts and weather news available.
The Windows 10 version of The Weather Channel app is very similar to the Windows Phone version with your local conditions greeting you when you launch the app. From there you have a slight difference in navigational approaches between the Windows 10 PC and Windows Phone versions.
Along with your current conditions, additional features for The Weather Channel include:
- Hourly and 15-day forecasts in Celsius or Fahrenheit
- Current weather conditions cover "feels like" weather, humidity, dew point, sunrise, sunset, moon phases, wind speed, UV index, visibility and barometric pressure
- Weather maps show past and future radar (US and Western Europe only) with layers to show rainfall, snowfall, road or satellite views, traffic, wind speeds and more
- Severe Weather Alerts
- Rain Alerts
- Pollen Count Alerts
- Live Tiles support that will display your current conditions and the high/low temperatures for your favorite locations
You also have several Weather Channel videos to view that cover a wide range of weather topics such as current weather conditions, weather news items and featured stories that are weather related.
The Windows 10 PC and Mobile versions are slowly moving towards a unified design. The Windows 10 Mobile version relies on vertical scrolling to view your weather forecast information and a bottom navigation bar to access videos, maps and other features. The Windows 10 PC version also makes use of vertical scrolling but has the hamburger menu in the upper left corner of the screen to provide access to the app's features. Both are clean designs and maybe the hamburger menu will eventually make its way to Windows 10 Mobile.
Overall, The Weather Channel app is an informative, eye-catching Windows 10 app that covers the weather rather nicely. It is a free app available for both Windows 10 PC and Mobile devices as well as Windows/Windows Phone 8.1.
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2. NOAA HI-DEF RADAR - WEATHER FORECAST AND MAPS
NOAA Hi-Def Radar - Weather Forecast and Maps is one of our favorite Windows Phone apps and does a great job of things from a Windows 10 device as well.
The weather app is the only app that automatically augments land-based radar images with the latest images from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) satellites that cover the Atlantic/Pacific oceans into a single screen. The result is a weather map that not only shows what is going on over dry land but also what is drifting around just of the coast.
Some of NOAA Hi-Def Radar's key features include:
- Road or Satellite map styles
- An overlay showing any active weather watches or warnings
- Saved locations for forecast information
- Live Tile Support
In addition to the weather radar imagery, NOAA Hi-Def Radar also has the ability to pull up local forecast data. The information is somewhat brief but includes your current conditions, sunrise/sunset times and a five-day forecast.
I don't know if I would recommend NOAA Hi-Def Radar - Weather Forecast and Maps as your main Windows 10 weather app but it does make for a solid supplemental when you need a better picture of the weather radar picture.
NOAA Hi-Def Radar may not be free in the Windows Store, but it is at least a universal app; once you buy the Windows version, you own the Windows Mobile version as well.
Please note that NOAA Hi-Def Radar currently only provides coverage for the United States and the territories of Puerto Rico and Guam. Coverage only includes the southern coastal areas of Alaska. Additionally, the developer notes that very high altitude locations may have issues due to the terrain interfering with the radar beams, so you might see weather on the maps that's not reflected in the conditions on the ground.
NOAA Hi-Def Radar – Weather Forecast and Maps is available for both Windows 10 PC and Mobile devices as well as Windows/Windows Phone 8.1 devices.
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3. MSN WEATHER
MSN Weather may be the obvious choice for a Windows 10 weather app. The app has been around for some time and has gone through a few renovations along the way with the app becoming a solid option weather resource.
The main display for MSN Weather provides your current conditions and if you scroll down, the app provides you with:
- A ten-day forecast
- An hourly breakdown of the forecast
- Your Day Details that includes Day/Night forecast, sunrise/sunset times, moonrise/moonset times and conditions forecast
- Precipitation and Temperature records for the date
The menu bar that runs along the left side of the screen offers options to view weather maps, historical weather data, view your places, check out the weather news and send feedback to Microsoft. MSN Weather's maps are animated with the following layers:
- Temperature tracks
- Current radar observation
- Radar forecast
- Precipitation values
- Satellite coverage (cloud coverage on a satellite map)
- Cloud coverage
Settings for MSN Weather include options for temperature values (Fahrenheit or Celsius) and which location should be used when the app launches. Additionally, MSN Weather has Live Tile support for your Windows 10 Start Menu and a collection of nicely illustrated weather wallpapers.
MSN Weather comes pre-installed on your Windows 10 PC or Mobile device and is also available for Windows/Windows Phone 8.1 devices. If you don't have MSN Weather pre-installed, you can pick it up for free through the links below.
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4. ACCUWEATHER - WEATHER FOR LIFE
AccuWeather is another leader in providing weather news, information and forecasts. While many will be familiar with AccuWeather's Windows Phone 8.1 app, there is also an app available for Windows 10. The app has seen a few facelifts and is currently listed as Accuweather - Weather for Life in the Windows 10 Stores.
Along with support for twenty-seven languages, a quick look at current conditions and a five-day extended forecast some of the key features for AccuWeather – Weather for Life include:
- AccuWeather MinuteCast: A minute-by-minute precipitation forecasts for the next two hours hyper-localized to your exact street address or GPS location. Includes precipitation type and intensity, and start and end times for precipitation.
- Severe weather alerts for all your locations
- Accurate and local/global forecasts that update every 15 minutes with information for the next 15 days.
- Current weather information covers temperature, wind speed, wind gust speed and wind direction, precipitation and amounts, humidity, visibility, UV Index, cloud cover, pressure, and AM and PM times for sunrise and sunset.
- Option to set current conditions to update as your GPS location changes.
- Fully interactive, full-screen Bing Maps overlaid with AccuWeather's precise weather data, including U.S., Canadian, European, and Japanese radar.
- Unlimited storage for your current location and all your favorite locations
- Live Tile support
Please note that Accuweather MinuteCast is currently available for the contiguous United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Japan, France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Sweden, Denmark, parts of the Czech Republic, Gibraltar and Liechtenstein, with new locations in the works.
While the Windows 10 Mobile version of Accuweather retains the classic appearance we have become accustomed to with the app, the Windows 10 PC version has a slightly cleaner appearance. I would like to see the Windows 10 Mobile version adopt some of the Windows 10 design features, but I can live without the randomly-placed advertisements.
While there is room for improvement, AccuWeather is a Windows 10 weather app worth considering. It is a free, ad-supported offering that is available for both Windows 10 PC and Mobile devices.
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