Weather Apps are a staple of life these days. Over the years, I have written several commentaries on the pros and cons of them. From my perspective as a meteorologist, the “cons” often outweigh the “pros,” but a new App is generating significant buzz. Here’s why.
EverythingWeather recently appeared in the Apple App Store. I could not help but notice that many fellow meteorologists were singing its praises on social media, so I reached out to developer, Cory Mottice. He told me that the App has been under development and beta tested by his colleagues for over a year. I still had two questions. Why is another weather App needed, and what’s different about it?
Mottice is a Warning Coordination Meteorologist in Corpus Christi, Texas for the National Weather Service. However, the App was created as a hobby during his free time and not associated with his official federal role. He wrote, “I have always wanted a convenient way to view National Weather Service forecasts and products without having to go to the actual website on my phone.”
The NWS has been constrained from developing its own App. it did not want to undercut value that the private sector can bring to federal data. I wrote about this very issue in 2019. Mottice’s App contains all of the things that weather geeks like me want including storm outlooks, local storm reports, forecast discussions, weather stories, and climate reports. Of course, it also has the basic weather information provided by the NWS on various websites too.
I am still amazed that people think weather information on their phones comes from the “weather fairy.” NWS and NOAA data are the backbone of all Apps, weathercasts, and other sources. EverythingWeather is bringing NWS data right into the hands of people, who would likely never visit their NWS Forecast Office website. I am told that future versions of the App will include radar, satellite, and real-time observations.
But why now? Mottice said, “The only reason for now is just because this is how long it took me to get the app to a place where it was stable enough for a release. I am utilizing only free data sources, so that has certainly led to some struggles along the way, but it will continue to get better with time!”
This is a great contribution to the community, and it certainly speaks volumes to what a curious, persistent person can accomplish in their free time. Wow!
