Gone are the days when you had to tune into the radio at the right time for regular weather updates. In this day and age, figuring out whether it’s going to rain tomorrow – or even in the next 60 minutes – is as easy as checking your iPad.
There are plenty of free weather apps on iOS that give you the forecast days in advance. Not only that, but some of them tell you the forecasted temperature for each hour, the current temperature, the wind speed, wind direction, humidity, air quality, and a lot more!
Today, I will be showing you the 17 best weather apps for iPads. All of these weather apps are entirely free to use, so let’s get into it.
The 15 Best Free Weather Apps For iPad
1. AccuWeather
AccuWeather is one of the most popular weather apps across all mobile devices. People love it for its ease of use and the wide range of information it gives you.
AccuWeather has unique features, like the Real Feel marker. Reel Feel tells you what the temperature really feels like, which can vary due to wind speed, humidity, sunshine, cloud cover, and so on.
RealShade is similar, but it will let you know how the temperature will feel in the shade. If you want to know whether it’s a good time to hang out on your shaded patio, this feature can help.
Also, AccuWeather has something called MinuteCast. MinuteCast will tell you the forecasted weather by the minute, for the next two hours!
That is something you won’t get from most weather apps.
You can see weather forecasts for up to 45 days in advance, which can be useful if you are planning to travel somewhere and want to know when would be the best time to go weather-wise. You can search for any location or city you want.
The highs and lows for Today, Tonight, and Tomorrow will help you quickly gauge how hot it will get today and tomorrow and how cold it will get tonight at a glance.
Here is some in-depth weather information you can get from the app:
- Allergy: If you have allergies, this will let you know whether the weather is bad for allergies.
- UV index: Find out if you need to wear sunscreen due to a high UV index.
- Air quality: Discover whether it is a good time to go outside or whether there is a lot of pollution in the air.
- Visibility: If you are planning on driving, this feature can help you learn whether the air is clear or there is smog.
- Precipitation: Find out the chances of precipitation happening.
There are also some cool maps you can look at, such as a live tropical storm radar map to help you track the trajectory of tropical storms. There’s even a real-time view of Earth from a satellite camera.
The app will also give you important notifications, such as when there is a storm warning in effect, so you never miss big events. All in all, it’s a pretty cool app to have.
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2. The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel is also up there on the list of the most popular weather apps on any device, and iPads are no different. In fact, right now, on iOS, it is the #1 weather app in the play store, though it is only #2 on Android (as of this writing – subject to change).
The layout is quite different from AccuWeather’s layout, so at the end of the day, whether you like one over the other will depend on your personal preference – personally, I prefer AccuWeather.
The Feels Like feature is somewhat similar to AccuWeather’s Real Feel feature – it tells you what it really feels like outside, despite the actual temperature. However, you can only see forecasts up to two weeks in advance.
Nevertheless, you will be able to see the forecast for the upcoming hours, hour by hour, which can help you plan your day.
You can add The Weather Channel widget to your home screen to get real-time temperature information and weather updates without opening the app. You can also get real-time notifications about upcoming rain.
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Like AccuWeather, The Weather Channel can give you information about pollen forecasts and allergy-related information.
Using the live radar, you can track storms and weather patterns to see how they will affect the area in which you live.
3. WeatherBug
WeatherBug is another awesome weather app, and it is #6 in the weather category in the Apple Play Store. It provides weather information for more than 2.6 million locations around the world, from large cities to small towns.
You can see the current weather, get hourly forecasts, and see forecasts for days in advance. However, it only shows the weather for 10 days in advance, which is less than AccuWeather and The Weather Channel.
However, the good part about it is that it has 18 different maps you can use to track the weather and weather patterns. You can get fire data to see if there is an elevated risk of a fire due to hot weather conditions, whether a hurricane is brewing, if pollen activity is high, and even if there is a risk for lightning outside.
The Lightning Center includes information by the mile, so you can see exactly how close lightning is to you.
You will also get information about air quality and even traffic conditions!
Why traffic conditions? Well, together with info on whether it will rain and what the air quality is like, it can help you figure out whether it is an opportune time to drive across the city to see your friend or not.
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4. Weather+
Weather+ is another cool app on the app store. Daily weather forecasts are available, but unlike AccuWeather, hourly weather updates are not available – instead, three-hour updates are available.
However, you can access important information about humidity, precipitation, wind direction, wind speed, and more. You can even view a video in the background with updated weather conditions!
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5. Weather Underground
If you prefer to see maps, Weather Underground might be just the app for you. There are all types of maps that will allow you to view weather data for specific locations, area by area.
You can view heat maps, rain accumulation maps, storm maps, and a lot more. There are many map layers you can add to get specific weather information.
The map visualizations are pretty good with updated information, satellite images, and cloud cover imagery.
Even though Weather Underground is great for maps, it is also good for other things as well. You can see weather forecasts for up to 10 days in advance, see hourly weather summaries, and get important information such as:
- UV index
- Sunrise
- Sunset
- Moonrise
- Moonset
- Wind speed
- Wind direction
- Humidity
- Dew point
- Total accumulation
- Visibility
- And a lot more
The “Feels Like” feature is similar to AccuWeather’s Real Feel feature and will give you a more accurate representation of what it really feels like outside.
Weather Underground collects data from over 250k weather stations around the world, so you will always be getting up-to-date, real-time information.
The premium version removes ads and includes features such as weather forecasts, by the hour, for the next 15 days.
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6. National Hurricane Center Data
This app is released by LW Brands, and it shows data from the National Hurricane Center. It is the perfect app for in-depth tracking of hurricanes, which might be something important if you live in an area that is often impacted by hurricanes or if you plan on traveling to such an area.
There are graphs that show the tropical weather forecast for five days in advance, the global tropical two-week hazard outlook, an excessive rainfall outlook, and a lot more. Other graphics show hurricane probability, rainfall forecast, flash flood risk, and a lot more.
You will also see data and graphics about surge threats, wind warnings, floodings, and a lot more.
In addition to the graphics, there are forecast advisories, local statements and warnings, and more. There are also map overlays you can use to view data such as hurricane intensity, NASA sea surface temperature, and a lot more.
There are even satellite imagery filters that let you add map overlays such as air mass and true color.
There’s a lot to explore with this app, and I don’t want to get too technical. It might be uninteresting if you are only looking for easy-to-read forecasts, but if you like to get a little more technical with tracking storms and hurricanes, this app is perfect.
There is more than enough to play with if you have the free version. If you subscribe to the premium version, you will get more weather forecast models, more imagery, and more than 60 other hurricane tracking features.
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7. BoatUS
BoatUS is THE weather app to have if you go boating. You’ll get access to all kinds of marine weather information, such as data on current tides.
You can also see weather forecasts for up to five days in advance for wherever you are heading on your boat. It will also show small craft advisories, so if you operate a small boat, the app can help you figure out whether it is safe to go out or not.
The hurricane alerts will certainly come in handy and help you keep safe.
However, BoatUS is a lot more than just a weather app. It allows you to get a towing assistant, 24/7, wherever you are.
There are more than 300 ports in the United States with towers ready to go out and tow your boat, and since you will be using the app to call a tower, they will already know your location using your phone’s GPS function.
If you are a BoatUS or Geico insurance holder, you can access your insurance information straight from the app at any time.
8. PWS Monitor
PWS Monitor can be your Personal Weather Station (PWS) on iPad devices. It’s perfect if you want to see charts, graphs, and other kinds of graphics that you won’t see with a standard weather reporting app like AccuWeather.
It uses data from the Weather Underground network, so the actual data will be similar to what you will see on the Weather Underground app. However, it will be displayed differently, as you can see in the screenshot.
For example, you can see line graphs that show you dew point, pressure, and humidity and how they have varied over time. Other data you can see include wind chill, the heat index (which is kind of like AccuWeather’s Real Feel), wind gust, solar radiation, UV index, and a lot more.
For each day, there will be a chart with data for rainfall rate, cumulative rainfall, barometric pressure, wind speed and gust, and more.
The app is entirely free to use, and nothing is hidden behind a premium plan as of this writing.
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9. Storm Shield
What if you just want to get important notifications about potential hurricanes, tornados, flash floods, and other severe storms, without installing a weather app? Storm Shield might be a good option for you.
The benefit of using Storm Shield instead of relying on county-based alerts is that those alerts don’t take your specific location into account – they get sent to the entire county. Also, those types of alerts typically get sent to mobile phones, so if you have an iPad, you may not get them.
Storm Shield, on the other hand, pinpoints your exact location so that you only get warned about an upcoming storm if it is going to affect the exact area in which you are. You can get voice and text notifications faster than even the tornado sirens, according to users, so it is a pretty useful app to have if you live in an area prone to natural storms.
The voice notifications sound just like the weather alerts you would get from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration over the radio. Also, you can add a widget to your home screen so that you see text alerts right away, whenever you check your device.
10. CARROT Weather
CARROT Weather is part of the CARROT network of apps, which uses artificial intelligence to make your life easier. The app is pretty easy and fun to use.
There are fun messages that pop up in the app, and there are also quite a few animations that make checking the weather less boring. It might be a pretty good app for your young kids if they love to check the weather because it is just so much fun to use.
The app is also customizable, which is another plus. For example, you can change the layout and choose which data points you want to be displayed.
CARROT Weather is actually able to pull data from a number of sources. For example, you can have it pull data from AccuWeather or ClimaCell, and you can switch between those sources so you can get an idea of the most accurate weather forecast.
There is also a gamified aspect to the app, allowing you to unlock achievements by experiencing weather events in real life. All in all, it’s a cute and fun app to have, though some of its features are only available to premium members.
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11. Weather Up
Weather Up is an exciting app that allows you to view updated future forecasts alongside a map, with the ability to add various layers to the map to view different weather conditions. You can view weather forecasts for any location you choose on the map, so you can search anywhere in the world.
The Weather Up app uses easy-to-understand icons for various weather conditions, such as sun, rain, and snow, so you can quickly understand what is going on. You can see the weather forecast by the hour and by the day, up to 10 days in advance.
You can also choose the icon style you want.
12. Forecast Bar
I think Forecast Bar is pretty cool because it allows you to choose from 20 data points to display in the app or in a widget on your home screen. Those data points can include temperature, wind speed, rainfall, and so on.
Depending on whether you have the free or the paid version, you can actually include six different widget types on your home screen. For example, with the multi-city widget, you can track multiple cities at once, which is cool if you travel back and forth to different cities often for business.
You will also get push notifications for severe weather alerts (only in the United States).
Forecast Bar is free, though you can subscribe to the premium version for additional features, like sunset alerts that let you know when a beautiful sunset is expected.
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13. 1Weather
1Weather now has an improved iPad layout, so if you’ve used it in the past but didn’t like it, check it out! You may enjoy it now.
1Weather makes it easy to view important weather information with a widget. You can track many locations at once, from millions of locations around the world.
1Weather will give you important information for each day, including wind speed, wind direction, visibility, real feel temperature, barometric pressure, UV index, and more.
It will even tell you the exact chance of precipitation in the upcoming hour. Also, it will give you a graph showing the exact percentage chance of precipitation for the next seven hours and the next seven days.
There are hourly and daily forecasts – daily forecasts can be viewed up to 10 days in advance.
14. WeatherKit
WeatherKit is a cool weather app with features like RainAlert, hourly forecasts, and the ability to choose which data source to get your weather information from. You will be able to see the air quality index, choose your custom app icons, and a lot more!
It’s a cool little app to play around with, especially if you are a weather fan.
15. Weather Widgets For iPhone
If you prefer to use only widgets, consider downloading Weather Widgets For iPhone. It’s a cool app that allows you to add all kinds of weather widgets to your home screen, including daily and hourly forecasts, storm trackers, and a lot more.
For extra weather information and more frequent updates, you can subscribe to the premium version. However, that is optional.
16. Brella
Brella is a fun app that allows you to record a personal phrase to ask Siri for the weather. It also integrates with Alexa.
Brella is a great app to spice up and brighten your day. It will give rain and other weather-related notifications using your name and various cheeky references to pop culture or popular movies.
Check it out – you might like it.
17. EPA AIRNow
Finally, our bonus app: EPA AIRNow is the official app of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). It is a simple app, and it has some bugs from time to time, but for the most part, it does what it’s meant to do.
It shows you the air quality for your current location or any location you enter into the app. You can also store your favorite locations so you can check them at a glance.
It won’t give you weather forecasts, but air quality is directly impacted by the weather, and it is just as important to pay attention to air quality data as it is to how hot it is outside.
Wrapping It Up: What Is The Best Weather App For iPad?
Personally, I prefer AccuWeather – it is my favorite weather app, by far. The Weather Channel is pretty good too, but I feel like AccuWeather has a more intuitive and easy-to-use interface.
If you are more technically advanced, however, you might consider downloading other apps that include more graphs and maps. Also, some apps are a bit more fun, like CARROT Weather and Brella.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what weather app you use. All of these apps will help you be better prepared for the day ahead, rain or shine.
