Most reliable weather app: none fully convinces

Neither AEMET nor Windy: no weather app gets it right on its own

A phone that announces rain every time you check it. That's the starting point: the search for a weather app that gets it right "100% of the time", because the one that comes preinstalled on the phone misses more often than a carnival shooting gallery rifle. The collective answer, however, points to no winner. It names half a dozen candidates and adds an uncomfortable warning: none gets it right on its own.

Which weather apps are recommended

The list is short and fairly consistent. AEMET, Spain's state meteorological agency, comes up as the reference with its quirks, but reliable. Meteoblue and Windy are cited as the best for precipitation and wind respectively, and those who use them claim they belong to the same company. The Norwegian yr has its fans, and one forum user praises a Norwegian app with good forecasting models, though he can't remember its name. AccuWeather and Tiempo&Radar round out the picture, along with Samsung's own app.

None is considered infallible. Samsung's app "works pretty well", which is lukewarm praise, not an endorsement. Reliability here is measured in accuracy and in being able to see raw data, not in how pretty the icon is. And some simply don't trust any of them.

Why pilots and flying enthusiasts look at other apps

The detail that changes the conversation is professional use. Tiempo&Radar earns its keep because it's the one pilots use, it allows you to view real-time weather maps and, although it's paid, its free version barely interrupts with ads.

The second case is hang gliding. One enthusiast sorts his sources: Windy for wind and Meteoblue for precipitation. For those who practice the sport, the app stops being a curiosity. That explains why the demand for reliability comes precisely from those who can't afford surprises.

The strategy that actually works: cross-checking several sites

What keeps coming up in the thread isn't an app, but a method. One forum user recommends checking at least three sources and drawing your own conclusions: Eltiempo.es, AEMET and the phone's app, for example. Whoever looks at only one, he warns, will get it wrong. That sentence sums up his approach.

This denies the starting premise: the 100% reliable app doesn't exist. What works, according to those who replied, is treating the forecast like any other piece of data: by cross-checking it.

Rain alerts and the underlying problem

Another route is to specialize. A rain alarm app is recommended precisely for that purpose, though it's admitted that its reliability has dropped a bit lately.

And then there's the joke. Among the serious answers appears Meteosaca, a stray name, and the quip about a hypothetical "AgendAEMET 2030", dismissed without further ado. When there isn't even agreement on whether a winning app exists, maybe the problem isn't the app.