Picture Courtesy:DWIT News

The weather channel is an app that provides current weather conditions at searched locations. We can search by entering a city name or zip code into a locations field at the top of the screen. On the map, there are various overlays of radar, clouds, temperature, 24-hour rainfall, snowfall or UV index information. We can choose to display these layers simultaneously as well. By pressing the small pushpin icons on the map, the weather condition of nearby cities pops up. The map can be manipulated. It can be moved in any direction with zoom in/out feature using the touch screen.

In addition to the current conditions, The Weather Channel offers three static forecasts - hourly, 36-hour, and 10 days which we can choose from buttons placed above a banner advertisement for the TV version of The Weather Channel near the bottom of the screen. The hourly forecast provides information about general conditions, temperature, precipitation, wind speed and direction for the upcoming 12 hours. The 36 hour forecast and 10 days forecast are relatively thin (few reports) and present report of worldwide weather condition.

When we initially start the Weather Channel app, it requests for permission to use current location as favorite. But, bypassing is an option. The weather channel also provides video forecasts of 1 to 2 min. We can play the video for any cities; the video is updated every 30 minutes.

The latest trend in weather apps is crowd-sourcing local weather reports from users. The aggregate of these local reports is displayed at the top of the app, but, we can add our own voice to the mix.

When we want to see the weather with our own eyes, The Weather Channel has its radar view. The map is Geo-located to our current position, but we can pan and zoom to our heart's content. Controls at the bottom, pause and play a looping video of weather conditions in our area. The radar map also includes a Future Radar feature which shows an animated prediction of upcoming conditions.

In summary, the app provides a slick, well-designed experience along with all the information we could possibly need.