Best Weather Apps and How to Use Them

Get accurate weather forecasts, severe weather alerts, and rain predictions on your phone.

At a Glance

Your phone already has a weather app

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Both iPhones and Android phones come with weather built in. **iPhone Weather app:** - Open the Weather app (blue icon with sun and clouds) - Shows current temperature, 10-day forecast, and hourly breakdown - Swipe down for UV index, wind, humidity, and air quality **Android:** - Search "weather" on Google, or check the weather widget - Samsung phones have a built-in Weather app The built-in apps work well for basic forecasts.

Best weather apps to download

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These apps offer more features: **Weather Channel** (free with ads): - Detailed hourly and 10-day forecasts - Radar maps showing storms moving toward you - Severe weather alerts **AccuWeather** (free with ads): - "MinuteCast" tells you exactly when rain starts and stops at your location - Extended 45-day forecast **Dark Sky** (now built into Apple Weather on iPhone): - Hyper-local forecasts down to your exact street - Notifications like "Rain starting in 15 minutes" All are free to download with optional paid upgrades.

Set up severe weather alerts

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Severe weather alerts can be life-saving. Make sure they are on. **On iPhone:** 1. Settings > Notifications > find your weather app 2. Make sure notifications are allowed 3. In the Weather app, enable "Severe Weather" notifications **On Android:** 1. Settings > Safety & Emergency > Wireless Emergency Alerts 2. Make sure "Extreme threats" and "Severe threats" are on 3. In your weather app, enable severe weather notifications These warn you about tornadoes, flash floods, hurricanes, and extreme heat. They can sound even on Do Not Disturb mode.

Warning

Never ignore a tornado warning or flash flood warning on your phone. Move to safety right away.

How to read a weather radar map

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Radar maps show where rain and storms are right now. 1. Open your weather app and look for "Radar" or "Map" 2. Colors show rainfall intensity: - **Green** = light rain - **Yellow** = moderate rain - **Orange** = heavy rain - **Red** = very heavy rain or thunderstorms - **Purple/Pink** = extreme rain, hail, or severe storms 3. Tap "Play" to see rain moving over time — this shows if rain is heading your way 4. Pinch to zoom in on your neighborhood Checking radar before leaving the house helps you decide about umbrellas or waiting out a storm.

Quick Tip

Check the radar map before heading out. If green or yellow patches are moving toward you, rain is likely on the way.

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