Tech: Gear up to beat the erratic rain with these alternative weather apps

When netizens were rejoicing the arrival of the Dark Sky weather app on Android earlier this month Indian fans felt a pinchof disappointment We arenrsquot saying this because Cyclone Roanu is stirring in the Bay of Bengal but because India is one of few nations where the popular weather app is not available yet It adds to the paucity of reliable weather apps for the Indian subcontinent But all is not lost Here is a list of alternative weather apps to help you navigate through the tumultuous weather thatrsquos about to arriveFor weather news try SkymetWeathercom Android and desktop offers news analysis and alerts on the latest developments on Indian weather You can either download the app from Google Play Store which also offers daily forecast or log on to the portalAmber WeatherAndroid amp IOSOur top favourite among weather apps we say follow Amber Weather without thinking twiceWhat we likeNot only does it offer hourly and daily forecasts but also monthly and yearly ones Therersquos also a Long Range Forecast which comes handy while making travel plans The daily weather forecast tells current temperature wind speed and direction humidity atmospheric pressure dew point and visibility It also informs you whether or not itrsquos safe to travel outside by offering Air Quality Index AQI and UV levels The app also comes with a set of widgets which are customisable What we donrsquotAlert system is not supported in India It does however have a global earthquake alert There is no news section on weather or map support but it doesnrsquot hinder the experienceWeatherampRadarAndroid amp iOSIt is one of the few apps that actually delivers on the promise of regular weather updates for IndiaWhat we likeIt comes with a Weather Radar that allows you to track weather conditions in your region with satellite images of temperature and cloud movements It also offers eightday forecasts of weather with details like rainfall sunny or cloudy as well as wind speed needs to be activated in settings along with informative maps You can also add and track the weather in multiple locations What we donrsquotOn several occasions satellite images were more than an hour old and not exactly real time Several features including Wetter Ticker and News Rainfall Radar are unavailable in India Also therersquos no option to check or activate important weather alerts in your areaMSN WeatherAndroid IOS and WindowsA welldesigned app MSN Weather is your goto app to stay updated on the weather without the technical jargon What we likeIt has a simple interactive layout with forecasts of temperature cloud cover rain and wind speed It offers 10day forecasts for any Indian city Therersquos a Map section too that offers you temperature precipitation satellite and cloud maps What we donrsquotThere are no weather alerts or news sections to keep you updated on the latest developments A section like this would be useful especially since Cyclone Roanu is in the Bay of Bengal We would have also loved maps from Indian INSAT satellitesWeatherBugAndroid amp iOSA popular app WeatherBug is created especially for the weather geekWhat we likeLifestyle based forecasts such as Outdoor Nature and Gardening gives you an idea on whether itrsquos safe to venture out on a day either for treks or for gardening What we donrsquotSeveral interesting features like Game Day Pollen and Cold and Flu forecasts donrsquot work in India The Cold and Flu forecast showed US data even though our location was set to India The app is also very slow in gathering data even though we were on a 10 MBPS connection