I’m not a winter person, and I have never been. As soon as the temperature dips below 30°F, I have a really hard time leaving the house, and when I do, I’m usually miserable and covered in hives (I’m literally allergic to the cold).
This cannot be overstated: I don’t do well in the cold.
Checking the weather forecast has been a depressing part of my morning routine in recent weeks. Temperatures have been plummeting to -4°F, and the sun seemed to have abandoned us for a while.
Here’s the good news: I found a weather app that actually takes the edge off a little bit.
Winter is coming; here’s how I prep my Android phone before the first storm hits
Better to be safe than sorry
The most obnoxious weather app ever
And that’s a good thing
What The Forecast by Byzantine Apps LLC is an accurate, Android and iOS weather app that keeps it extremely real.
Its main forecast page and loading screens are equipped with more than 9,000 irreverent, sarcastic, and optionally profane phrases to describe current weather conditions.
For me, -4°F is a perfectly appropriate occasion for maximum profanity. If that’s not your vibe, you can adjust your settings to include some profanity, minimal profanity, and none.
Even with minimal profanity, the phrases are still very funny. But if you abhor the cold as much as I do, I recommend the more intense settings.
The higher you go, the more outlandish and ridiculous the phrases become. You can always play around with the settings to figure out what you prefer.
WTForecast is full of fun, useful features
As if a good laugh wasn’t enough
Beyond the snarky quips and accurate weather alerts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), What The Forecast has a lot to offer.
The interface is quite simple, but you have a few options for customization, including the background, text color, and shadow color and width.
Switching between Celsius and Fahrenheit is as easy as tapping on the temperature, which I especially appreciated for the purposes of writing this article as a Canadian writer.
With the default background, there is a wind turbine animation that actually changes speed according to current weather conditions.
It really is the little things that make an app great.
The best part is What The Forecast’s ample menu of indexes, found by tapping the plus icon in the upper-right corner of the screen.
In addition to the common Air Quality Index (AQI) included with most weather apps, you’ll find indexes for arthritis, migraines, swimming, golfing, and more.
I suffer from migraines regularly, and I often forget how the weather can contribute to them.
Sometimes, the only thing that can fix a migraine is time, but I’m always happy to add tools to my arsenal that can help with prevention.
As wonderful as the indexes are in theory, I have questions about a few of them.
Especially if we’re talking about … bees?
Most of What The Forecast’s indexes are pretty straightforward.
Migraine and arthritis indexes indicate the likelihood of experiencing migraines or arthritis on a given day. Simple.
Swimming and golf indexes indicate how good or bad the weather conditions are for those activities. Easy!
And then there are bees. The bee index seems to be backwards in the sense that there are virtually no bees because it’s the middle of the winter, and the bee index reads “Terrible.”
Maybe it’s terrible if you’re outside actively looking for bees. But who’s looking for bees?
I would venture to say most of us, when viewing a bee index, would assume that green means fewer bees, red means lots of them.
It’s true that most people could probably figure out this quirk with a moment’s consideration. I would prefer for there to be no uncertain terms around the number of bees outside. Maybe that’s just me.
Meanwhile, the cold/flu index reads minimal for the entire week, at the height of cold and flu season, which doesn’t exactly make sense.
I think a small note indicating how each index is measured would go a long way.
In-App purchases and subscription options
WTForecast does ads right
What The Forecast has a few options for users who want an ad-free experience with extras including widgets and radar.
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Lifetime All Access |
$26 |
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Monthly Subscription |
$2.70 per month |
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Annual Subscription |
$11 per year |
While I think all the subscription rates are very reasonable, it’s possible that the free version is a little too good.
I don’t see myself needing any of the features that a subscription would afford me.
Most of the time, I’m more than okay with paying a few dollars to remove ads from any app that I use regularly. And frankly, WTForecast has a lot of ads. But the ads are placed in such a way that you barely notice them.
There is one small banner ad at the bottom of the main page, and the rest of the ads are tucked way down below all the important information, essentially hidden. I have never seen a pop-up ad on What The Forecast.
If you have to include ads in a free app, which most free apps do to make any money, this is such an efficient and courteous way to do it.
And, if you prefer to remove ads, you won’t have to break the bank to do so.
A couple of things that could be improved
Honestly, these are more for fun than anything
There isn’t much I would change about WTForecast. For the way I use it, it’s fine as is. But there are a couple of tweaks that would add to the fun a little bit.
- Similar to how the wind turbine changes speed with the weather, it would be cool if the profanity levels changed according to the weather conditions.
- I think the voice function is fun because it’s always funny to hear automated voices using profanity, but some customization options would be nice. I would be willing to bet that an Aussie accent would make the readout even funnier.
Laughter is the best medicine
WTForecast has done a lovely thing by bringing a little laughter and levity to the coldest winter days. Whether you’re looking for a few giggles in the throes of a cold snap, hunting for bees, or hoping to add a few quips to your small talk toolbox, WTForecast could be a great option.
