Like everything else in life, even the weather has gone digital. Whilst you can still go the old-fashion way of listening daily to the VHF for weather reports, there are a number of weather applications for iPhone and Android phones which offer a great deal. Here are our top 3.
BOM Weather app
Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has its own weather app. It is Australia wide and includes free access to current observations, 7-day forecasts and the radar. It has comprehensive marine reports and warnings plus it is available on both Android and iPhone. Whilst some might lament the accuracy of the BOM, it is worth noting that all the weather apps use the data from national weather agencies, so it really comes down to how they interpret the data and present it in a user-friendly manner. See http://www.bom.gov.au/app/
Willy Weather
This Australian-made weather service has been very popular. It does use data from the BOM yet has a great user interface with satellite images, wind, tide, rain, UV and radar. It is free for Android and iPhone; however it will include advertisements unless you pay $4.95 to remove them. It will also integrate with an iWatch. https://www.willyweather.com.au/info/ios.html
Dark Sky
The Australian PC Mag rated the Dark Sky weather app as excellent. Apple obviously think so too as they have bought the exclusive rights for their Apple Store. Only available on Apple products, there is a cost for this service yet it has worldwide coverage with extraordinary accuracy so if you are intending to cruise offshore (keeping in mind you will need an internet connection) or travel internationally, this may be the app for you. https://darksky.net/app
