It’s free ($2.99 per year kills the ads) and has a variety of informative maps, an easy-to-read forecast, and weather alerts so you’ll know the next time the heavens are going to open up.

My overall favorite is Weather Underground. If it’s just a good, informative weather app you’re after then there are a couple of places you should start. Just like with other weather apps you can add different cities to your list, so you’ll know just how much Uncle Jimmy is freezing while he’s snowed in during the storm. You’ll then see the day’s forecast, with the ability to get an hourly breakdown of precipitation and the details for the next ten days. Google offers several weather tools that are always at the ready. Or just do a Google search (voice works, too) for “weather.” Make sure you’re using the Google Now Launcher, and you can get to the weather by swiping right from the home screen to get to Google Now. In fact the company recently rolled out a splashy redesign of its weather features that both looks very good and makes it easier to access key information.

You may not even need a dedicated weather app, as Google handles this function particularly well.

But it’s about more than just having the right icons on your screen: To get the full experience you want to explore options for putting a weather widget on your home screen and which apps connect with Android Wear smartwatches. The recent blizzard/snowstorm/apocalypse that hit the East Coast is a good reminder that one of the core smartphone features that makes life a little more cushy is the ability to pull up a weather forecast on a whim.Īndroid is flooded by good weather-app options.

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