Apple’s Weather app collects more data than ever before on iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma. The thing about weather is that, aside from the basics, everyone cares about different things, and some people care about everything. With Apple’s latest version of Weather, there’s more weather to geek out about than ever before.
The Weather app contains hourly precipitation forecasts in the detail view for 10 days. Is there really a 45% chance of rain in Nashville starting Monday? Probably not, but if that kind of precision is what you’re looking for in a weather app, Weather has it.
Wind map overlays have also been added to Weather. The overlay looks excellent and provides animations to show you which direction the wind will blow over the next 24 hours. It is a great addition if you want to fly a kite or drone, sail a boat and much more.
Historical trends have also been added to Weather. If you tap the Averages tile, you’ll see how far above or below average today’s temperature is. That data is accompanied by a graph of today compared to the historical range, as well as a month-by-month graph of average high and low temperatures. When you tap the 10-day forecast, you can also swipe back a day to compare today’s forecast weather with yesterday’s actual conditions.
Location names are also more specific. I found a listing for Duke University. There is a separate entrance for Durham, the city where the school is located. Duke was forecast to be a degree warmer and cooler than Durham today, but as I write this it’s the same temperature, which is good to know, I guess.
If you’re a Lunar, you’re in luck, because this year it got even more attention in Weather. Tap the Weather moon tile to learn about its illumination, moonrise and sunset times, days until the next full moon, and its distance from Earth. There’s also a watch face-like interface element that lets you scroll forward and back through the calendar, which is connected to an animated moon image that updates as you swipe the watch face. In addition, for each month there is a calendar that displays the moon phase and includes the date of that month’s new and full moon.
Finally, Apple says it has improved the use of the correct default units for different geographic regions, and the visual effects you see behind the weather data have been improved. Looking at today’s weather and then looking out the window, I have to say they look very close.
While I personally think much of the data in Weather is exaggerated, I also realize that what seems redundant to me may not be true for everyone. So as easy as it is to make fun of the Weather app, I appreciate that it has become more than just a list of current conditions and a short-term forecast. And if you just enjoy reading about weather conditions, there’s plenty to learn in the Weather app too.