Best weather apps for iPhone and Android to track the UK SNOWBOMB – and they’re better the built-in one
The UK weather can be unpredictable, as we're currently finding out, but you can always turn to your smartphone to tell you what to expect when you step out the door
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EXTREME cold is frosting over the UK's green and pleasant land, and some Brits are already struggling with heavy snowfall.
In these wacky weather conditions, you need a reliable weather app to keep you one step ahead of the January "snowbomb".
And, it just so happens, that we've rounded up the best digital forecasters for your blower – read on to discover the handiest iOS and Android weather apps to get you through this shocker of a week, and every other day for that matter.
Met Office Weather
- Free for and
If you want peace of mind, you're better off heading straight to the source, which for us Brits is the Met Office.
As the country's national weather service, the Met Office ("met" here being short for meteorological) knows a thing or two about our crazy climate.
You can check the 7-day forecast for thousands of UK locations.
And, if you want extras, you can peruse a daily forecast, hourly forecasts for the next two days, three-hourly forecasts for seven days, weather warnings, a rainfall map, and a "feels like" temperature to help you pick what to wear.
AccuWeather
- Free for and
A popular, well-reviewed, app that provides a 15-day forecast and helpful at-a-glance temperature graphs.
Along with a clear summary, you can scroll down to find info for the rest of the day, including humidity levels, wind speed, cloud cover, and so forth.
An hourly forecast is also available for those that like to be prepared morning, afternoon, and night.
Plus, you can procrastinate by gazing at sun and moon phases, and a weather map for the entire country.
A paid version of the app, which packs a torrent of stats and a MinuteCast that offers minute-by-minute weather data based on your location, will set you back £3.99.
WeatherBug
- Free for and
WeatherBug both looks and works great. The app promises a wealth of real-time stats from the "largest network of sensors in the world."
There are also live weather and traffic cams, plus info on how much it should cost to heat your home in the current climate.
BBC Weather
- Free for and
With hundreds of weather apps out there, and plenty of self-glorifying bluster, it's hard to know which to trust.
The BBC's app cuts through the noise by positioning the main stats upfront in an easy-to-digest format.
Aside from the weather right now, you get a ten-day summary, and extras such as UV and pollen counts and a pollution read out.
Dark Sky
- Free for , £3.99 on
Yes, iPhone users have to fork out for this app, but it may be worth it if you're obsessed with if its going to rain.
The app is always visible on a transparent layer beneath your smartphone screen, and lets you follow weather patterns (including storms) across the globe.
It's great for weather buffs that want to venture out beyond their geographical confines, but may not be as useful for those after a quick update.
The Weather Channel
- Free for and
Another essential entry to the list that could replace your phone's native weather app.
The Weather Channel constantly updates to match your location and offers the current and hourly weather up to two days in advance.
It also boasts 15-day forecasts.
There's even a morning show video that gives you your daily fix on all things weather.
As usual, you'll have to fork out to axe ads.
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Haze
- £3.99 for
If you want a beautifully minimal app that looks great on your iPhone, and you're not afraid to fork out for it, then check out Haze.
Four quid gets you a five-day forecast with some extra details on highs and lows, UV, cloud coverage, sunshine hours, sunset times, windchill, windspeed, and chance of rain.
But the main attraction here is the design: important info appears inside easily-digestible bubbles with tiles at the top for each day's temperature.
Plus, there's motion tilt and slide controls to help you navigate the sleek interface.
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