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Weather Apps for RVers

Roadtrekingmike

Entry posted by Roadtrekingmike ·

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blog-0645992001382960818.jpgNo matter what kind of RV we have, one thing that we are all interested in is the weather. Nothing affects traveling more. Across North America, the cold weather is coming fast and that means snow and ice and dicey weather conditions. Thanks to apps, tablets and the Web, you never again need to wonder what its going to be like out there.

I’m always installing and uninstalling weather apps. I’ve tried dozens of them and I’m sure I’ll try dozens more in the months ahead. But for now, here’s a roundup of my favorite weather apps.

When bad weather threatens we want to know when and where it will start. And that’s where the new Forecast.io website comes in. It accesses the radar data available from the U.S. government, crunches and analyzes it all and then predicts rainfall and snow for your exact area by the hour and lays it out on a very elegant website. You can get global, regional and local views with just a mouseclick. The tools that the website uses to compile the reports and predictions then are spun off into two apps for smartphones and tablets, one for the Apple platform, the other for Andoid devices. They, too are, pretty slick.

The iPhone app is called Dark Sky. It costs $3.99.

The Andoid app is Arcus Weather. Its free right now, though they ask for a donation.

Here are some other weather apps I use:

When we’re setting out on an RV trip, I really like the Road Trip Weather App for the iPhone. It costs $1.99 but is very handy. It provides a personalized weather forecast for your drive based on WHERE you will be and WHEN you will be there. Enter your route & departure time and weather data populates on the map, showing potentially hazardous conditions.

If you want to know everything there is to know about the weather, WeatherBug is the what you want. When you launch the app, it immediately displays current local weather, including temperature, dew point, humidity, sunrise, sunset, wind, pressure and any active weather alerts for the area. This is good as you are traveling as it always updates your current weather. A toolbar along the top lets you switch from the current forecast to a more detailed forecast, hourly forecast, or 7-day forecast. A toolbar along the bottom lets you access weather radar, live webcams in your area, lightning strike information and the pollen count.

The WeatherBug app has a great radar link but sometimes we want just radar and as much of it as we can get. For Android users, I like RadarNow!. It gives directly to instant radar from your current position.

For the iPad and iPhone, try the MyRadar app.

There are no shortage of weather apps. Those are my favorites.


5 Comments

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anderson622

We all have our favorites, I suppose. The one I use most for weather is the free Raindar application for my Android smartphone. One click and I'm looking at weather radar for my current position showing estimated times till something bad will intersect with my location. I find this very valuable and easier to use than RadarNow!. When I need a forecast, WeatherBug is standard. I also appreciate the weather alerts from WeatherBug and the fact outside air temperature at my location is shown at the extreme top left of my Android screen. It is an excellent free application.

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RICKGEES

VERY FEW APP ABOVE ARE WORTH ANYTHING REALLY BAD WEATHER TRIPPER BAD FORECAST IO BAD ARCUS WEATHER BAD THE REST WORK WELL STAY WITH THE MAIN KNOW NAMES FOR TROUBLE FREE RELIABLE APPS UNINSTALL DID NOT START UP RIGHT ON A SAMSUNG GALAXY S3

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jfanning

Great article and certainly a tool all RV'ers should consider. Some of the items you recommend have awful ratings by other users. We have located an APP for Apple (IOS) products like the iPhone and iPad that we think is fantastic. It is called RadarCast by NOAA and cost $1.99. It works somewhat like the app Anderson622 uses for Android. RadarCast can be programmed for multiple locations or used for wherever you are at the moment. We have all of our children's homes and frequently visited locations programmed into the app. It will map out any area right down to the house number. It can send you text messages to let you know when it will rain in your designated areas, and has saved us from high winds, lightning and hail many times while traveling. We have even been in our car in a grocery parking lot in a severe downpour when I have opened the app and told my wife if we just wait five minutes we won't need the umbrellas. If you have an Apple product, I think you will find using this app a life saver.

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jhall@t1g.com

I wholeheartedly agree with jfanning. RadarCast by NOAA is very good & quick. It more than satisfies what we need. Addtionally, we have found it very useful at the house when the satellite TV stops working in very bad weather.

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