Whether you’re hiking, sailing or simply spending time the outdoors, having reliable weather information is key. We’ve rounded up the top apps that cover everything from local forecasts and air quality to mountain conditions and dark-sky advice, helping you make the most of your adventures no matter where you are in the UK.
Best weather apps for outdoor adventures
Met Office
One of the oldest national weather services in the world, the Met Office was founded in 1854 to improve maritime safety and create comprehensive weather charts. With hourly and daily forecasts, the Met Office app is great for day-to-day use, but it also features long-range forecast of up to a month, offering key information in a clear and engaging format – a mix of icons and written content from the Met Office’s meteorologists.
The Met Office app includes a UV forecast and an indication of the current air pollution, pressure, humidity and visibility. It also has a section for weather warnings, when applicable.
Although there are plenty of other specialist forecasts for outdoor adventures, the Met Office app actually covers quite a few bases in other areas too. It has specialist forecasts including marine forecasts (provided by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency), mountain forecasts and space weather forecasts, which describe the changing environmental conditions in near-Earth space. These include aurora forecasts for those wanting to see the Northern Lights, and any geomagnetic activity that may be taking place.
Mountain Forecast
Perfect for those heading up mountains or planning a big hike, Mountain Forecast combines hourly and long-range 12-day forecasts with topographic maps of the area, onto which you can overlay your GPX route.
The forecast shows you freezing level (the elevation at which the air is at 0°C) and cloud base (lowest altitude of the bottom of a cloud layer – which will determine where you will be in the clouds during your hike), both useful additions for mountain users.
It also shows rainfall (in mm) and snowfall (in cm) if relevant.
MWIS
Focusing on safety and simplicity, the Mountain Weather Information service focuses on accessible information aimed at both novice and more experienced mountain users in 10 upland areas across the UK. It might not be the most comprehensive or holistic, but it’s a great option for those hiking in the UK – with a series of webcams also available to help you visualise the current status of weather conditions on various mountains. It focuses on warnings rather than extensive, in-depth summaries, so users can see the most important information at a glance.
Windy
The clue’s really in the name here. Windy focuses on wind forecast, aimed specifically at water and wind sports such as sailing and windsurfing. It can also be useful as a beach forecast, while apps like Surfline specialise in surf conditions for other water sports.
Scope Nights
A slightly different weather forecasting option, Scope Nights offers forecasts and dark-sky advice for astronomers looking for clear, dark skies. This exhaustive app has a 10-day weather forecast for your location and other observing locations, with a rating for stargazing of poor, fair, good etc. It’s particularly good for observatories and designated dark-sky sites around the UK. It also has a dark-sky map to show you how much light pollution there is in an area.
Top image: A hiker walks towards the summit of Sgurr an Tuill Bhain along a narrow rocky ridge in the Scottish Highlands (credit: Getty Images)
