There are more weather apps available for your mobile device than names for snow in Alaska — and some require that you pony up as much as $10 for the privilege of knowing whether you'll need to wear a jacket. So how does an ad-sponsored offshoot of a basic-cable channel manage to trump all else? With a deep knowledge of the way human beings obsess over weather.
Do you want to know what it's like out now, if the clouds are making pretty patterns over New Jersey, or if that looming storm system threatens to make a lawsuit out of your luau? All that and more are one thumb-tap away from the home screen. The Weather Channel delivers both severe-weather alerts from across the nation and, using your location, microclimate conditions for your specific neighborhood.
The iPad edition has a weather command center that would make Al Roker proud, with animated icons and a layered display that integrates current conditions with news and navigation. But whatever platform you're on, you can pore over radar maps, watch high-production-value videos, and share forecasts with friends (using the handy address book integration for iOS).
For more random social networking fun, view the tweets and photos of double rainbows posted by amateur meteorologists in your area. It's the rare app that appeals to utility users and fanatics alike. And if the 1-centimeter-thick ad bar along the top of the screen really bugs you, iPhone users can pay $4 for a sponsor-free upgrade (suckers).
