Editor's Review
Forecast apps get judged on one thing above all, which is whether the rain arrives when they said it would. AccuWeather's pitch is minute-level precipitation for the coming two hours next to the usual hourly and daily outlooks, plus an animated radar map you can scrub forward.
What is in it:
Current conditions, hourly detail, an extended daily forecast, severe weather warnings pushed as notifications, and radar with layers for precipitation, satellite and temperature. Widgets put conditions on the home screen, and several saved locations cover home, work and wherever family lives.
The 3.54 problem:
That rating is low for a brand this well known, and the reasons are not mysterious. The free app carries a heavy advertising load, video units included, sitting between you and the forecast you opened it for. Location permissions are requested insistently, since background location is what drives the alerts. Long-range accuracy attracts the familiar complaints, although that is a limit of meteorology as much as of any app. Paying removes the ads.
The underlying data is solid and the radar is genuinely useful. It is the packaging around them that people mark down.
Features
Minute-level precipitation forecast for the coming two hours
Animated radar with precipitation, satellite and temperature layers
Hourly detail and an extended daily forecast
Severe weather warnings delivered as notifications
Home screen widgets and several saved locations
Pros
Radar and short-range rain timing are the real strengths here
Severe weather notifications arrive promptly
Cons
Heavy advertising in the free version, video units included
Insistent requests for background location access
A 3.54 rating is weak for a brand of this size
Long-range forecasts attract the familiar accuracy complaints
