Installing a weather app on your iPhone is one of the smartest moves you can make. Mobile weather apps ensure that nothing catches you by surprise as far as weather patterns are concerned.
While iPhones have inbuilt weather apps, such apps only offer basic weather information. Inbuilt weather apps also limit you from accessing extensive details and insight on everything involving extended forecasts and weather alerts.
There are several weather apps for iPhone in the market. AccuWeather, WeatherBug, MyRadar to name a few. However, the best free weather app for iPhone is The Weather Channel. Not only the app is the most accurate of all but offers plenty of useful features.
Let’s find out more about these apps. Besides offering weather forecasts, some apps even allow you to track the moon’s phases and find forecasts on your travel destination of choice.
So whether you are planning a vacation, checking on the weather ahead of your road trip, or even considering evacuating your family following the hurricane news, here are the 13 best free weather apps for your iPhone.
Best Free Weather Apps For iPhone
1. The Weather Channel
First up, we have The Weather Channel on our list of the best iPhone weather apps. The app provides a wealth of meteorological data, such as visibility, wind, and temperature.
The Weather Channel app is owned by the Weather Group LLC, who is known to be the greatest innovator in weather. The app’s mobile experience is intimate and personal, featuring the best weather news and information for individuals and businesses alike.
According to iPhone, The Weather Channel is the most accurate weather forecasting service globally, with rich features to help you confidently make decisions about your day.
The app also made it to our top list as it is free, comprehensive, and gives you forecasts of up to 15 days so you can plan your travels.
The app’s hurricane tracker and storm watch features warn of anticipated severe weather conditions such as storms, heat waves, incoming floods, or heavy rains.
The tool allows you to manage personal weather alerts to filter out irrelevant notifications. Other outstanding features of The Weather Channel app include a widget and homescreen that offer more weather details at a glance. Today’s weather forecast feature prepares you for the weather for up to seven hours.
The sharing features help you upload tweets, images, and videos. It has over 45 million monthly users, but that has not stopped it from continually improving to give you better weather forecasts.
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2. AccuWeather
The AccuWeather app is trusted by many. The app made it to our top list since it is simple yet comprehensive enough to offer you all you need in an iPhone weather app.
The World Meteorological Organization has also recognized the app to be intentional in preparing its users for the day through dependable weather forecasts.
AccuWeather has earned various accolades, including the Best Weather Warnings, User Interface, Data Representation, Best Design, and Information Presentation.
The app will update you on live weather forecasts, winter weather forecasts, and advanced weather radar, including storm tracking, rain, ice, and temperature changes.
The app’s daily forecasts include cloud coverage, rain probability, live radar, wind, snowfall, air quality index, and UV index. The tool has existed for over 10 years, with trackers and live radar promising superior accuracy.
AccuWeather has all the weather information you want. It also allows you to look up information on sunrise and sunset, allergy conditions, and video clips and news about the current weather cycle.
It also allows you to send videos and weather reports as a contributor, and the app might feature some of the videos in its news reports. AccuWeather promises its users long-term forecasting for up to 45 days.
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3. WeatherBug
I highly recommend the WeatherBug app if you wish to track a developing weather situation you have just heard of. According to Apple, WeatherBug is one of the well-known weather apps powered by the world’s most potent weather network.
WeatherBug gives you free access to over 140 hourly forecasts and up to a 10-day forecast. The app is easy to use and provides information ranging from warnings on storms, and pollen levels.
Its fast network gives you timely alerts and real-time forecasts. In addition to smartphone apps, WeatherBug has apps for desktops, with excellent features that update you on local and national weather forecasts, doppler radar, temperature, news, etc.
Some of its noticeable features include your weather forecast that delivers real-time forecasts with enhanced interactive maps, weather widgets, and weather alerts.
The “Track any condition” feature is made of the weather radar for the US, Canada, Mexico, and Europe. It also features Pulse radar for many other international locations, spark lightning alerts, fire and hurricane centers, and winter weather.
WeatherBug gives you more than just rain updates. Its detailed pollen count update ensures that you keep your allergies in check, while air quality, precise weather details, and real-time traffic conditions help you plan your day better.
The tool pulls information from over 10,000 professional-grade weather stations, satellites, and tracking services to forecast over 2.6 million locations.
It is an excellent weather app for people who spend more time outdoors bike riding, hiking, or mountain climbing.
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4. Clime: NOAA Weather Radar Live
Clime is an all-in-one weather tracker that delivers essential weather data and timely alerts right to your iPhone. The app provides real-time severe weather alerts, radar images, and accurate and timely weather forecasts to prepare you for the day.
Clime’s radar overlay demonstrates rain, snow, or mixed precipitation in high-resolution areas. On the other hand, the precipitation map offers a 24-hour precipitation forecast.
Clime also has a satellite map that illustrates the cloud cover and background maps that let you search locations and bookmark them to stay out of the weather. It provides 24-hour weather details and forecasts for up to seven days.
The app also gives you information on the max and min temperatures of the day, pressure, humidity, visibility, wind speed, and dew point. With Clime, you’ll find information on sunrise and sunset times.
You’ll find radar images for the continental US and Alaska with an exception to the northern part, Hawaii, Northern Mexico, Southern Canada, Denmark, Austria, Finland, Spain, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Poland, Switzerland, and Japan, among others.
Like any free app, Clime repeatedly reminds you to upgrade to its paid service to access its premium features.
Nevertheless, despite the annoying upgrade alerts, Clime stays at the top for its outstanding satellite weather imagery that offers a complete picture of the temperature, precipitation, and other weather details.
It is essential to note that Clime’s privacy policy indicates that the app collects personal data such as real names, nicknames, and your interactions with certain websites. The best part is that you can request the app to delete your information.
The policy further states that the app will retain your personal information for up to three years.
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5. MyRadar
MyRadar is a top iPhone weather app that is fast, powerful, yet easy to use. The app lets you know real-time weather forecasts using animated images on maps.
One of MyRadar’s most outstanding features is the advanced rain alerts. When you open the app, your location will pop up with animated weather, so you can easily see when the rain is about to fall.
MyRadar weather app uses patent-pending technology to deliver fast and accurate hyper-local weather forecasts on the planet. The minute push notifications keep you updated on upcoming storms, an hour in advance.
The app has boundary data layers at the front of your map, indicating the high and low-pressure systems. It also has an earthquake layer that ensures you stay updated on the latest seismic reports, customized to severity and time.
Hurricane layer updates you on the latest hurricane activity and tropical storms worldwide. Other layers include the aviation layer for aviation-related data and the wildfires layer that keeps you updated on the newest fire activity around the US.
The app’s new feature shares alerts based on tropical storm and hurricane activity. Additionally, MyRadar has introduced MyRadar TV to broadcast daily video forecasts, among other weather-related content.
The MyRadar app was created by Andy Green. The Orlando-based app developer has worked in the tech sector since the 1980s, and now his creation, the MyRadar app, boats over 50 million downloads.
This app is an excellent companion for analyzing meteorological phenomena that happens anywhere on the planet.
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6. Weather & Radar – Storm Alerts
The Weather & Radar – Storm Alerts app offers an all-in-one platform that keeps you up to date with weather and radar reports at all times.
In the US, the app gives accurate local forecasts, wind and lightning radar, weather alerts, as well as all-in-one temperature.
The app is an excellent weather companion featuring expert weather analysis, ski reports, and videos. The app allows you to plan with a 14-day weather trend.
The tool uses modern modeling and storm-tracking technology to issue accurate weather alerts and push notifications to keep you up-to-date with dangerous weather conditions in and around your location.
The Weather & Radar team of experienced meteorologists ensures you stay informed with the latest news, weather stories, live videos, and expert weather analysis.
Another exciting feature on the Weather & Radar weather app is the 90-minute trend. This feature provides all the necessary hyperlocal and time-bound weather data.
The feature blends high-resolution and weather observation models to point out movements and arrival times for rains and storms within your location.
Another helpful feature of the app is world weather. The feature allows you to save any place to find current weather conditions for it.
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7. CARROT Weather
If you are always cautious about your privacy when using apps, then you will love everything about the CARROT Weather app. The all-powerful and privacy-cautious app delivers twisted forecasts from the latest forecast to severe weather warnings.
CARROT Weather displays every day’s weather alongside a commentary from the app’s bot. iPhone users can enjoy other features, such as adding the CARROT Weather app widget to the lock screen.
The app gives weather details, including UV index, wind speed, pressure, and more. It also gives you an hourly view to see the weather forecast for the rest of the day.
At the bottom of the app, you will find the weekly weather forecast alongside other details. CARROT Weather app stands out against the rest for its funny AI capability that “insults” users as it updates you on the current weather.
It is more than just a weather app. Its AI capabilities allow you to engage in activities that can strengthen your relationship with AI by tracking over 70 achievements and over 70 secret locations.
Another exciting feature is the good-looking AR mode that shows you all the relevant weather information you seek. The app is also overflowing with personalities, including straitlaced (professional) and profanity-laden (overkill).
CARROT Weather prioritizes your privacy, so you will not be worried about your personal information being sold to a third party.
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8. Windy.app – wind & weather
The World Meteorological Organization recognizes the Windy.app as the best-specialized weather app for outdoor activities, leisure, and sports. The professional weather app was created for water and wind sports, including surfing, sailing, and fishing.
As the name suggests, the Windy.app provides wind forecasts and statistics, including wind meters, accurate wind compass, wind gusts, and wind directions. The app also sends wind alerts and storm and tornado warnings through push notifications.
The wave forecast feature prepares you ahead of any sea or ocean conditions. At the same time, the animated wind tracker ensures you are well-informed on the weather radar for sailing, yachting, or kiting.
You will love the Windy.app more for its intuitive and detailed nature. It is one of the most accurate weather apps and promises better quality information than some premium weather apps.
Windy.app can be translated into 40 languages. It brings you leading weather forecasting models such as global ECMWF, local NEMS and ICON for Europe, NAM for the USA, and GFS.
Its friendly interface makes it easy to toggle on and off up to 35 weather layers for wind, temperature, rain, humidity, and CAPE index.
The app is customizable, so you can change your weather layers menu and colors, access more options, and save your preferences through the settings button.
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9. NOAA Radar & Weather Forecast
If you are looking for an accurate radar map to help you effectively plan your day, look no further than NOAA Radar & Weather Forecast.
The app has over 35 real-time and precise weather layers to prepare you for a day, week, or even the period you will be on vacation.
The high-resolution weather layers include tropical cyclones, storm cells, lightning strikes, fire information, AQI, wave heights, drought tracking, humidity, atmospheric pressure, and temperature and precipitation forecasts up to 14 days.
You will definitely like NOAA’s other incredible features, including daily notifications on the weather forecast, and alerts on potential severe conditions. It also has a real-time radar map that comes in handy anytime you need it.
The app also allows you to choose the text size you prefer. The NOAA Radar & Weather Forecast app is also a great source of astronomic and atmospheric information about the sun and the moon, potentially affecting local and global weather patterns.
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10. Weather Underground
Weather Underground gives you reliable and real-time hyper-local forecasts to warn you against upcoming severe weather.
The app consolidates data from over 250,000 individual weather stations and combines it with proprietary forecasts for accurate hyperlocal forecasts.
With the Weather Underground app, you will discover current weather conditions and interactive Nexrad radar and receive customized severe weather alerts.
One of the reasons why you will download this app is its local weather conditions forecasts hourly, daily, and up to 10 days.
Secondly, it provides the most-detailed weather data, including temperature, wind speed, humidity, wind directions, rain accumulation, visibility, and pressure.
The Weather Underground app tends to bridge the gap between airport weather conditions and other weather services to give accurate forecasts since it generates data from local points.
It is one of the most interactive mobile weather maps that lets you select different weather layers and personal weather stations, among others.
It also offers sophisticated weather visualizations, thanks to cloud cover imagery from GOES-16 and data from NOAA.
11. Emergency: Alerts
The Emergency: Alerts is also another great weather app for iPhone. Developed by the American Red Cross Society, the app gives you information regarding hurricanes, floods, extreme heat, and winter storms.
Sudden climate changes can cause extreme weather conditions, hence the need to protect your loved ones in the best way possible. The app sends you accurate weather information and monitors where you live.
The free app is available in English and Spanish languages. It has an improved alert speed on severe weather conditions, including hurricanes, tornados, floods, and many more. You can enable emergency alerts that override your iPhone’s “Do not disturb” tab.
In severe cases where displacements may happen, you can use the app to find open shelters by the Red Cross using the interactive map feature. Its map overlays include hurricane tracker, clouds, rain, wind speed, radar, and snow.
The best part about this app is that you can access its content without mobile connectivity. The app has been retooled to accommodate 40 different types of customized alerts and systematic guides to reflect the realities of the current climate.
12. Yahoo Weather
Yahoo Weather helps you prepare your day effectively with hourly, five-day, and 10-day weather forecasts. The app boasts an outstanding interface that is striking yet informative.
With the Yahoo Weather app, you can see images of your region along with time and weather conditions. It also lets you view a detailed five-day forecast alongside interactive radar, satellite, and heat maps.
Yahoo Weather considers itself the best weather app for iPhone. Its outstanding features give you full details on the wind, pressure, and possible precipitation.
It also gives you animated sunrise and sunset modules and helps you track your favorite cities and destinations.
13. 1Weather
Last but not least on our list of the best free weather apps for iPhone is 1Weather. 1Weather has all the features you could be looking for in a weather app. The app gives you a 10-day weather forecast, severe weather warnings, radar, and others.
1Weather uses widgets to ensure crucial weather days are visible from your iPhone’s home screen. You will also love the app’s minute-by-minute and hourly temperature and rain forecasts.
The app promises an entirely new experience. In addition to live weather updates, the tool also has a health center that monitors the air quality, plus over 25 radar maps.
1Weather is also an excellent source of informative videos, customizable weather alerts, and marine and aviation forecasts.
Final Words
The above review will help you settle for the best weather app to suit your needs. Remember that picking the right app goes beyond picking on the features that place certain apps ahead of default iPhone apps.
Your selection should also be based on customer reviews, the app’s accuracy, its interface, and customization options.
While advertising can also be a crucial factor when choosing the free app to download, it’s essential to note that most free apps depend on advertising to generate revenue.
Don’t be caught unaware. Install one of these apps to get accurate weather forecasts and alerts. But if you are looking for an app that is continually improving to provide a wealth of meteorological data, then I recommend The Weather Channel.
Tom loves to write on technology, e-commerce & internet marketing. I started my first e-commerce company in college, designing and selling t-shirts for my campus bar crawl using print-on-demand. Having successfully established multiple 6 & 7-figure e-commerce businesses (in women’s fashion and hiking gear), I think I can share a tip or 2 to help you succeed.