The 10 best weather apps of 2013

iOS 7 weather app icon
As 2013 inches closer to its last days, we take time to reflect on everything that we have experienced over the past year. With 365 days of apps and games to sift through, it is hard to figure out which ones are the best. Don’t worry, you are off the hook. We took care of it for you.

Take a look at our list of weather apps that the writers of iDownloadBlog consider the best of this year’s releases. Don’t forget to vote for your favorite one for the Best Apps of 2013 list…

Yahoo Weather

Yahoo Weather photo descriptionWhen Yahoo launched its weather app ahead of the iOS 7 release, the iOS world went wild for it. The beautiful design mixes stunning photography with minimalistic graphics and made this app more popular than Apple’s animated native weather app. You can bookmark cities to keep track of weather around the world, see an hourly prediction of the day’s temperature, and check out a 10-day forecast for future planning. This app is available for free.

Perfect Weather

Perfect WeatherThe app’s description says it all. Some weather apps are designed to look pretty, but don’t offer a lot of functionality. Some are overloaded with information and don’t make it easy to look at. This app combines a little of both categories to offer a comprehensive weather tracker, while maintaining the attractive simplicity we’ve come to love. View radar maps, check detailed current conditions, and access the temperature chart for hourly forecasts. This app is available for $2.99.

Weather Line

Weather LineNot everyone needs pretty pictures and simulated rain clouds in order to read the weather forecast. Sometimes, graphs and charts are better understood than illustrations of kids in hoodies and scarves. Weather Line takes the weather imagery out of the equation and replaces it with line graphs to give you a better understanding of the day’s changes. See temperature, condition, and precipitation on a single graph with a forecast from 36 hours up to 12 months. Check monthly rainfall averages for a particular region. Get severe weather warning reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This app is available for $2.99.

Today Weather

Today WeatherSure, you can just look outside to get an idea of whether it is cold, hot, snowing, or windy. However, most people leave the house for hours at a time, which means they may be walking out during heavy rain, but will be sweating by the time they go to lunch because of the sudden change in temperature (it happens in California all of the time). This app gives you a simple, but useful outlook on today’s weather forecast. Check for hyperlocal precipitation information, get hourly details on weather conditions, and prepare for your day with the “Today” section. This app is available for $1.99.

Shade

ShadeGoing back to what I mentioned above under Weather Line, some people prefer visually attractive weather apps with good illustrations and a minimalistic design. Shade fits right into that category with a clear overview of the day’s forecast, displayed with simple graphics and varying colors to represent the temperature. If it is hot, the screen will turn shades of red, orange and yellow. If it is cold, you’ll see blues, green, and purple. You can also see the changes in weather listed on a line graph. Tap the graph to get a look at more detailed information on weather conditions. This app is available for $1.99.

Nice Weather 2

Nice Weather 2Another example of an attractive, minimalist design with accurate weather information is Nice Weather 2. This app uses gradients and particle effects that are dependent on the weather conditions. The particles move across the screen, depending on the speed and direction of the wind. Using gesture-based controls, users can interact with the forecast. Slide your finger along the graph to watch the weather predictions evolve. Slide along the timetable to change days. Tap the thermometer, cloud, wind, or compass to change their values. This app is available for free.

Haze

HazeYou want to talk about a minimalistic weather app… this one is about as minimal as they get. You can easily see the current temperature just by opening the app. The screen is brightly colored with a hue that represents the temperature and the exact degree is displayed in the center. You can also see a five-day forecast, check out wind speed using the gyroscope, and navigate using motion. Background animations will show you the following day’s weather trends. This app is available for $2.99.

Weathertron

WeathertronThis is the perfect app for the no-frills business-minded user. You get a live and infograph of the entire day’s weather. You’ll be able to see hour-by-hour, what to expect in the day’s weather forecast, including clouds, rain, snow, and temperatures, all on one graph. See a seven-day forecast with visual reports and narrative summaries. Weathertron gets its data from 16 different weather data sources and statically aggregates them so you will have the most accurate weather conditions in your area. This app is available for $0.99.

Blue

BlueThis is another visually stunning minimalist app that looks great and does very little. That is a good thing for some people. Blue gives users a 36-hour forecast for their current location. Swipe upward to see the color gradient change based on the hourly change in weather conditions. Colors are based on temperature, humidity, and sunrise or sunset times for your current location. The temperature is automatically set to Fahrenheit or Celsius, depending on where you are at. This app is available for $0.99.

NOAA Weather Radar

NOAA RadarThe NOAA is the U.S. federal agency put in charge of predicting weather conditions across the nation. They use all of the resources at their disposal to predict and track weather conditions, storm activity, air quality, and more. This app lets you track storms, check weather predictions, and view radar and satellite maps that offer precise weather data. You can customize locations, see hourly forecasts, and see what the temperature feels like. This app is available for free.

What’s your favorite?

We are also taking a poll from our readers on the top apps in each category. Out of the 10 apps we presented today, please cast your vote on which one is the very best. The winning app will be included on a list of the top readers’ choice apps for 2013. Please take a moment to make your voice heard and tell us which weather app from the list above is your favorite.

 


Make sure to check out and vote for our other best apps of the year: