Just started this one. Looking forward to it. Like many, I LOVED Dark Sky and miss it. In general I prefer to use 1st party apps when available and good enough. But Dark Sky was worth it for me.
I’ve not listened, but the way I see weather apps is this:
- Choose something you like the look of and which allows you to…
- Choose a data source that actually works for your location.
In my experience, the look and feel has many options. It’s a shame very few seem to have a good data source for New Zealand.
You live in Wellington - it’s going to be windy, and cold, and it will probably rain tomorrow.
So did I. The first day DS predicted rain I was in a meeting with two of our executives. I was sitting with my back to a floor to ceiling glass wall and mentioned “this new app says it will start raining in nine minutes.” Nine minutes later both of them looked outside then down at their watches. it was raining. 
After Apple’s weather app was released I would check the traffic cameras in the area when it predicted “rain will start in . . . minutes” and sometimes find dry streets all around town. Other times it will already be raining. Apple weather is a good app, but it’s no Dark Sky. IMO
I keep the Apple Weather widget on my iPhone Home Screen to tell me the temperature, and I occasionally look at the Daily Forecast. I prefer the app from Windy.com. (not Windy.app) Included in its 50+ layers is a predictive weather radar.
What are the best weather apps/data sources for New Zealand?
I like the WeatherKit service and would like to see more data services offered to developers. Weather apps have done a decent job standing out from each other despite the data being somewhat commodified. I’m not a big weather app user but it’s neat to see the quality and innovation from the developers of some of these apps.
I googled: best weather model for New Zealand, and got this from the AI Overview:
"Key Takeaway: For New Zealand’s complex landscape, a blend of powerful global models (ECMWF) and specialized, high-resolution local models (NIWA, MetService) provides the best results, often accessed through user-friendly platforms like Windy.com. "
I learned of the app while watching Missionary Bush Pilot on YouTube. He is located in Papua New Guinea, and I suspected that the app might be recommended for NZ.
Weather apps can be riddled with ads and tracking. This is one of the first things I look for. Ads —> Delete.
Carrot user here.
Cheeky! At least we don’t complain until the wind gets over 100 km/h. 
I will check that out thanks.
Thanks for that. Same recommendation for Windy, so definitely on my radar now.
The one app I use which gets the basics right a lot of the time, and which I love from a presentation standpoint, is Looks Like Rain. Most of the time I just want to know what gear I should wear when I leave home for the office. A light jacket or a proper rain coat or that and waterproof over-trousers. I have a widget on my phone home screen, I’m not sure there is a more glanceable presentation, especially with the right colour scheme.
I am half way through this episode. I am surprised to hear the comments that Apple Weather data is excellent… Ever since Dark Sky was acquired I have noticed Apple Weather’s forecasts being way off. For example, I live in Memphis (same as Stephen). This weekend we are supposed to get ice and snow. Currently, Apple Weather shows us getting 18 to 22 inches of snow! Other sites (including NOAA) show us getting 1 to 3 inches of snow. There is no way we are getting as much snow as Apple says!
Agree! I use the higher tier version of Carrot… Love the app, but I’m finding that Apple Weather is often not accurate. I’m in the Boston area, and until just before a recent storm, it kept saying freezing rain, while Accuweather had more accurate serious snow prediction.
I use Apple Weather all the time, and it is reasonably accurate most of the time. However, neither Apple Weather nor Carrot Weather are even close to the local temperature TV forecast for this weekend. Out of curiosity, I subscribed to Carrot Weather so I could compare all of its sources against Apple Weather and the local TV weather forecast for my location this weekend. Compared to the local forecast, they are way off.
Local Forecast
Apple Weather
Carrot Weather (I tried several different sources; all are significantly different than the local TV forecast).
You can get a local forecast from the National Weather Service at
Weather.gov/(your ZIP Code)
100% agree. I have one of the local tv apps with weather and it is a lot better in forecasting
This is timely, this article just popped up in my rss reader:
That could explain a lot. Thanks for posting.
