Weathertech: Rain, hail or shine, it’s no secret we are all obsessed with the weather. Our interest in conditions started in the early 1900s, when knowing what conditions were like became crucial during wartime. Today, our obsession has only increased, with many of us visiting websites and downloading apps to help us navigate temperatures.

According to YouGov, one in three Americans say they always or usually look at the radar map when viewing the weather forecast. In addition, research from Agile Consumer Insights shows that 66% of respondents said they check weather updates online.

With National Rain Day on July 29th, we took a look at the latest technologies available to use, whatever the weather. National Rain Day originated in Pennsylvania in 1874 when a farmer predicted rain for his town on the same day every year. It’s true, you learn something new every day!

Rain Alarm

Both an app and a website, Rain Alarm alerts you when rain is on its way. It gathers reliable data from governmental weather services and issues real-time notifications to your computer and phone. Said to be more precise and reliable than a traditional forecast, what’s great about Rain alarm is that it can tell you how far away spells of rain are and just how heavy showers will be, making it super useful for outdoor activities. Free to download with a premium version, it’s available on Android and iOS.

AccuWeather 

Known as the holy grail of weather monitoring, Accuweather is a platform that enables users to manage in all conditions. Available on computers, iOS, and Android, it includes detailed planning features that use weather data to help you drive, manage allergies, and even boost productivity. It also includes a newly added news section, where users can watch videos on upcoming weather events such as tropical storms, thunder and lightning. Accuweather claims to have local and international weather forecasts from the most accurate weather forecasting technology, which features up to the minute weather reports.

Weatherbit – weathertech

Weatherbit provides an easy to use Weather API that delivers current conditions, past weather (hourly, daily, sub-hourly), and forecasts for any location you enter into the search bar. Weatherbit is hugely effective for countries in tropical storm zones and features severe weather alerts, historical weather information, air quality reports and more. Subscription-based, its API can be easily accessed and provides hyperlocal observed weather data and forecasts for any location in the world. It can even read soil conditions and moisture.

Windy

For outdoor sports enthusiasts, it’s not so much the rain but the wind that can turn your plans upside down. Windy is one of the most detailed breeze forecasting platforms on the market. With a website and app (available for free and on subscription for iOS and Android), it was created especially for water and wind sports, featuring a detailed forecast, live world wind map and local weather reports. What’s even cooler about the platform is its ability to provide details on wind speed, direction, and strength.

Lighntingmaps.org

Those fascinated with thunder and lightning will love this website, which specialises in tracking severe weather. Storm enthusiasts can view lightning in real-time across the planet with maps of occurring and previous strikes. Lightning maps feature a real-time colour map of the world, and you can even view them in satellite form. Unfortunately, it’s only available as a website, but you can access it through your smartphone. What’s more, it’s free to use!

Hurricane Mapping – weathertech

A website designed specifically for twister enthusiasts, Hurricane mapping software provides live hurricane, typhoon and tropical storm tracking data for users of Google Earth and ESRI’s ArcGIS mapping programs. Subscription-based, it’s more advanced than the rest, with its datasets containing map layers to help enthusiasts analyse storm threats and label maps with areas that are expected to be hit. What’s great about the site is that it can also be integrated with third-party software, including Visual Command Center and Weather Defender. Although you c, can access the website from most smartphones, all information is in real-time.