9 of the best weather apps to use as Arctic blast set to bring wintry weather

• Met Office says an arctic blast is on the way.
• Conditions to get colder and even wintry in places.
• There is potential for disruption for some next week

An Arctic blast is set to bring a spell of colder weather, the Met Office has warned. It could even see some wintry conditions in places.

November had got off to a warmer start for many but temperatures are set to turn over the weekend into next week. The forester warns that it will be ‘cold for all’ from Sunday (November 17).

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As colder weather and even snow could be about to arrive in places, you might be wondering which are the most accurate and reliable weather apps to keep you informed. Here are nine to pick from - across Android and iPhone devices.

Could it snow?

Unsettled weather and colder conditions start to spread across the country on Sunday (November 17) and the Met Office has weighed in on the chance of snow.

Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Rebekah Hicks explains: “A notable early winter cold spell will arrive across the north from Sunday and will likely reach all parts of the UK by midweek.

“Temperatures will drop as a northerly airflow develops, bringing in colder Arctic air. This introduces the possibility of snow, initially over high ground in the north from Sunday, with gusty winds also a potential hazard.”

What are the best weather apps to download? 

Whether you have an iPhone or a Samsung, we have pulled together a list of the best and most accurate weather apps you can download. See the full list below, it is broken up into separate lists for Apple and Android devices for your convenience. 

iPhone

Weather 

Okay, technically you don’t need to download this app, as it is Apple’s own weather application. But it still is one to make sure you have easily accessible on your home screen, whether as an app or a widget. 

It has a 4.8 star rating on the App Store, based on over 100,000 reviews. The forecast comes from Apple Weather and for UK users you can get a 10-day prediction as well as hour-by-hour for the current day. 

The app provides an outlook - “mostly sunny” for example - along with the high and low temperatures for the day. For users in the UK, you can also get next-hour precipitation forecasts. 

BBC Weather 

The BBC Weather app has a 4.6 star rating on Apple’s App Store based on a massive 1.2 million reviews. It boasts features such as ‘at-a-glance forecasts’ as well as hourly data for up to 14 days ahead for users in the UK as well as major international cities. 

Users can also see the chance of precipitation in their location as well as a “feels like” temperature. It also will display Met Office weather warnings, in the event one has been issued. 

It has a widget that can go on your iPhone’s home screen to easily see the latest forecast. It also has text-to-speech accessibility optimised for iOS ‘voice over’. 

In a five star review, one App Store user wrote: “Does the impossible - predicts British weather.” 

Met Office 

You can save having to open up Safari and type Met Office dot com into the search bar, by downloading the forecaster’s very own application from the App Store. It has a 4.7 star rating based on 554,000 reviews - so safe to say it is a well regarded option - and is also currently ranked number 1 in the weather chart. 

The app lets you switch quickly between daily and hourly forecasts for your favourite locations, depending on your current need. It will also send out notifications for weather warnings, so you are always kept informed. 

Inside the app you can actually watch the latest video weather forecasts. You can also get pollen push notifications during hayfever season. 

In a five star review, one App Store user wrote: “I’ve been using this app for years on different platforms since the first available version and I’m quite pleased with it.” 

Windy.com 

Not as familiar a name as the above apps, Windy.com is currently number 4 in the weather charts on the App Store. It has a 4.8 star rating based on 10,000 reviews. 

It is an American designed app, but it does let users visualise the most detailed forecasts available for the UK by allowing you to switch between different weather forecast providers. Users can now get heatmaps of cities, which may be very useful in the coming days. 

Like other apps, it offers a widget for iPhones which can be added to your home screen. Windy.com is also compatible with Apple Watch, so you can check the weather without opening your phone. 

There is a premium version which offers detailed 1-hour data and faster services, as well as no-ads and tracking. 

In a five star review, one App Store user wrote: “This app is awesome. Being able to very easily switch between different weather info providers is so useful. And being able to compare them all at the same time give you a much more reliable forecast.” 

AccuWeather 

Apple users can get the AccuWeather app across iPhones, iPads, Apple TV and Apple Watch, meaning you can get the latest forecast whatever device you are using at that moment. It has a 4.6 star rating based on just shy of 100,000 reviews. 

The free app has been recognised by the World Meteorological Organisation with awards, making it one of the best ones you can download. It boasts features like AccuWeather’s signature MinuteCast and Minute by Minute precipitation updates. 

Users can also get weather alerts and there is also an advanced weather radar feature, which include features like a temperature contour map showing how the temperature will change over the next day. 

It is currently seventh on the weather chart on the App Store. In a five star review, one user wrote: “I am super delighted and pleasantly shocked at how accurate AccuWeather is.” 

Android 

Google Weather 

If you have an Android phone it will come with the Google App preinstalled on your device and it is actually hiding the Google Weather in plain site. Simply go into the Google app and with a few taps you can get the weather app added to your home screen. 

There is also a separate weather app for Google’s Pixel phones, which is buried in the clock app. Once set up it shows the latest forecast attached to the current time in your location. 

Your Phone’s own weather app 

Like Apple’s Weather app, many Android developers (such as Samsung, OnePlus) have their own weather forecast apps. The app will likely come preinstalled on your device and can easily be found. 

The Met Office 

Android users can also download the popular Met Office app. It has a 4.6 star rating on the Play Store based on over 100,000 reviews and has been downloaded more than 1 million times. 

It is number one in top free weather apps on the Android application market place. Users can get the Met Office’s world-leading global weather forecasts with coverage from one hour to seven days ahead. 

It comes with features such as the ability to quickly switch between daily and hourly forecasts for your favourite locations. You can also scroll back up to six hours to see recent rainfall. 

Like on iPhone, you can watch the latest video weather forecasts for a more in depth look at the situation in the UK. And if the Met Office issues any weather alerts, you can get notifications to instantly alert you. 

In a five star review, one user on the Play Store wrote: “Great weather app. I tried a few but settled on this one.” 

BBC Weather 

Android users have rated the BBC Weather app a bit lower than their iPhone counterparts, it still has a respectable 4.1 star rating based on just shy of 350,000 reviews. 

The BBC Weather app allows you to see weather information based on your current location. When you first install the app, we’ll ask you whether you wish to enable this option. You can turn this feature on/off at any time via Settings > Apps > BBC Weather > Permissions > Locations.

It comes with features such as at-a-glance forecasts, hourly data up to 14 days in advance, chance of precipitation and the current ‘feels like’ temperature. The app, like on iPhones, has Text-to-speech accessibility. 

In a review, one Play Store user called Peter wrote: “Accuracy is not always perfect but then what weather app is. Simple to add / remove other places for holidays etc.” 

The Weather Channel 

One of the most popular and well-reviewed weather applications on Play Store is the offering from The Weather Channel. Get live weather forecasts at your fingertips with accurate reports that help you plan up to 15 days in advance.

Users can opt-into push notifications for the latest weather alerts, so you are always kept in the loop. The app also comes with features such as wind speed reports, severe storms and forecast radar updates. 

The app has a 4.5 star rating based on more than 3 million reviews and has been downloaded in excess of 100 million times. It is one of the most popular weather apps on the Play Store. 

In a review, one Android user wrote: “Runs perfectly on my Galaxy. And I find it very reliable and accurate. Great job! However, when I turn off all notifications, I don't want any notifications. At all. But I still get them.” 

Weather Radar - Meteored 

This weather app is popular among Play Store users with a 4.8 star rating based on 1.87 million reviews. It has been downloaded more than 10 million times by Android owners. 

The app has forecasts of up to 14 days for the UK from Meteored, using what the developers describe as “the Best Prediction Model in the world”. It boasts features such as Weather Maps, Rain Radar, Hurricane Tracker, Air Quality Index, 14-day Forecast, Weather News, Warnings and much more. 

If you have a Wear OS device, you can get the app on your smartwatch and see the latest forecasts on your wrist. One user wrote: “So far, it has been very accurate and I'm impressed with the amount of information available, including phases of the moon.” 

Which weather forecast app is your go-to on your phone? Share your picks in the comments below.