From long-range forecasts to ‘real feel’ temperatures, a good app can prepare you for the best and worst of weather * I find them quite magical’: the UK’s obsession with weather apps A weather app was a leading feature of the first iPhone in 2007 and enthusiasm for them has not dampened since. While the sophistication of forecasting and range of choice may have grown exponentially, different apps often give wildly different predictions. Meteorological institutions record observations using a network of instruments and tend to share them freely, so most weather services start with roughly the same data. But differences arise in how each office analyses and models the data to produce a forecast, and the chaotic nature and complexity of the climate system means small changes can produce huge variation. Continue reading...

Queen Camilla is apparently fixated with the forecast on her phone, behind which lies not just granular details but surprisingly lucrative businesses * Should I bring a brolly? Five of the best weather apps Several times a day, Francesca Simon, the author of the Horrid Henry children’s books, gets out her phone to check the weather – not just for where she is, but where friends and family live, where she has been on holiday, where she was brought up. “I love weather apps. I find them quite magical,” she said. With about 10 locations logged, her friends make fun of her “weather porn” habit. “If I don’t like what I’m seeing on one app, I’ll check another.” Continue reading...