Gear Review: NOAA Snow Forecast App for iPhone and Android

noaa1The phrase “there’s an app for that” has become far more interesting with the NOAA Snow Forecast app for the iPhone and Android smartphones.

It’s a “simple yet powerful app that tells you how much it’s going to snow in the next couple of days in precisely your neighborhood, instead of a forecast generalized to your whole city or larger area,” the developer boasts. “Ideal for figuring out school snow days, for snow plow operators, for cities managing salt supplies, and for ski and snow resorts.”

Unfortunately, the app doesn’t work in Canada, where I’m located, and I have serious doubts as to whether it would work in the Arctic Circle, where I am. You can get forecast for parts of Alaska, at least, which is pretty cool.

The app “shows NOAA’s detailed and hourly updated snowfall forecast projections in inches on a highly responsive interactive map. Plus get NOAA warning boxes and general weather forecast on the same screen.”

noaa2That’s also pretty cool, and this app will be invaluable (where it works) to anyone planning to head outdoors from the simple hour-or-two trek to a multi-day trip. When you head out, you just have to know what kind of weather you might be facing any time of the year, and particularly in the winter, where a miscalculation can kill you much more swiftly than in the warmer months.

The app installs easily, with no particularly complex set, and can be customized to your location.

An animated snowfall overlay on map with six hourly snowfall amounts for next two days is available, with severe weather alerts.

So if it works in your area, tap that app while the rest of us wait for it to catch up.

For more information on the NOAA Snow Forecast app on the iPhone, visit http://goo.gl/ZY1Fnj. For more information on the app for Android, visit http://goo.gl/zdmv9o.

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