Weather is a great weather extension for your browser
Weather, or Weather Extension depending on which browser you are using, is an extension for web browsers to display weather information directly in the browser.
A free and pro version of the extension is available. The free version provides good information already but if you need more information, e.g. severe weather alerts or animated icons, you need to upgrade to pro to get those.
Pro upgrades at the time of writing are available for a one-time fee of $9.99 for lifetime access to the features.
The review focuses on the Firefox version of the extension. Weather is also available for Google Chrome and Opera officially, and it should work on most Chromium-based web browsers as well.
Weather for Firefox
Weather Extension for Firefox requires light permissions only. It requests access to the location to display weather information for the current location and permissions to use notifications.
Once installed, it places an icon in the main toolbar of the browser. The icon displays the current temperature once you have accepted the privacy policy (which you do with a click on the icon using the prompt that opens).
The extension supports Celsius and Fahrenheit, and you may switch between those two with a click on the settings icon and the toggling of the unit on the preferences page that opens. Options to change the unit used for pressure and visibility are also provided.
The main weather report, which is displayed when you left-click on the icon, displays hourly and daily weather forecasts. Forecasts include the temperature, precipitation chance and cloud cover. The interface displays the next ten hours and the next eight days.
You can hover over any entry to display additional bits of data including wind, humidity, visibility, pressure, precip intensity, and UV index.
The preferences provide some additional features to free users. You may change the interface language, make the theme even darker, and change formats and units. The update interval can be changed but faster updates are reserved to pro users.
Pro users find options to enable severe weather and precipitation alerts, and change the badge among other things.
A click on the radar icon in the main interface loads a radar view of the location. You may zoom while in radar view, change the playback interval, and use stop, forward and backward buttons to control the display.
Closing Words
Weather, or Weather Extension, is a handy extension for desktop users who would like weather information directly in the browser without having to open a weather reporting website first. The extension is well designed and worked flawlessly during tests.
As far as features are concerned, it supports a good number of them; I'd like to see support for additional locations as that is missing right now.
Now You: do you use a weather extension, apps, or sites?
UV Weather Chrome extension: Check the forecast right in your browser.
5 out of 5
10,000+ active users
Featured by Google
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/uv-weather/ngeokhpbgoadbpdpnplcminbjhdecjeb
A “freemium” weather extension for my browser? No thanks.
I would rather run weather software on the OS, that is 100% free.
I like this:
https://www.dcmembers.com/skwire/download/sweather
I agree with 99. Looking out the window, or simply guessing that today will be pretty much like yesterday, also works.
My local US National Weather Service “current forecast” changes every ten minutes all day long to match what is actually happening. It seems my local forecasters are also looking out the window! A lot of wrong guesses on their part, in my experience.
I prefer to generate my own forecast, which I base on the loads of raw data freely available on the web from weather sensors and satellites. It’s not hard to see storms coming, way in advance. Below are some of my favorite raw data sources:
USA only, but at the intersection of dense data and art:
http://hint.fm/wind/
Planet view, including sea temperatures:
https://www.ssec.wisc.edu/data/comp/latest_cmoll.gif
USA, to track storms nationwide:
https://radar.weather.gov/Conus/index_lite_loop.php
Satellite imagery from different parts of the spectrum:
https://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES/index.php
Holiday destinations world-wide:
https://www.holiday-weather.com/
USA airport delays, and much more data if you explore site:
https://flightaware.com/miserymap/
Aurora forecast if you are heading north:
https://www.gi.alaska.edu/monitors/aurora-forecast
Worldwide ocean buoy data:
https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/
Global jet stream:
http://www.stormsurfing.com/cgi/display_alt.cgi?a=glob_250
Earthquakes (click on Zoom to World – many settings)
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/
Hurricanes, Atlantic and Pacific (out of season at this writing):
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
Tsunami map:
https://www.tsunami.gov/
Note: In an earlier post I thanked long-suffering European taxpayers for financing some really wonderful Internet Radio sites, such as the BBC. Maybe the USA taxpayer funded weather sensors noted above can help even the score a little.
Thank you so much! A very useful note.
Stick a wet index finger in the air and watch the clouds above you.
100% accurate if there’s sunshine in your heart.
No spyware, no privacy issues since the Homeric Age and before … give it a try.
TWC and IBM completely ruined Wunderground. Their app is completely useless now. It used to be most accurate weather. Now I use combination of Windy and Accuweather.
I just bookmark NOAA and The Weather Channel on my laptop and have an app on my phone called 1Weather for emergencies or use away from home.
The Weather Channel’s radar maps and NOAA’s temperature, wind and precip prediction charts are the most useful features to me.
Since we do a lot outdoors, checking the weather is an old habit, notifications aren’t necessary, the less in a browser, the better, it seems.
Weather Underground is nice for seeing local backyard weather station data if you can get it to load and stay responsive, which is rare.
Where is this extension getting its weather data from? There are a few weather data providers that I prefer to avoid.
For my (US) needs, I get my weather from the National Weather Service’s website (weather.gov). I’ve found it to be as good as, or better, than other services anyway — which is not a surprise because that’s where most of them are getting their data from.
spyware
@Tom Hawack: Do you mean Forecastfox (fix version) or Weather extension? Sometimes Forecastfox notified in tab about developer wanting financial support for his work.
@Anonymous, if you are referring to :
“Tom Hawack said on January 8, 2020 at 6:08 pm
spyware”
then you are referring to another ‘Tom Hawack’ then the one who commented above,
– Tom Hawack said on January 8, 2020 at 8:15 am
– Tom Hawack said on January 8, 2020 at 10:43 am
I don’t write one word comments and avoid straightforward, undocumented appreciations.
Looks like we have 2 ‘Tom Hawack’ :=)
Ok. Thank you for answering. You must be the real â€Tom Hawack†because you always explained your statement. I am not real Anonymous but other instead.
…will the real Tom Hawack please stand up, please stand up, please stand up… uh, we’re gonna have some trouble here… (apologies to Eminem)
Tom Hawack is in a wheelchair and the usurper knows it which is why neither stand up.
Undocumented.
I had long time Forecastfox and then Oleksandr’s Forecastfox (fix version). I don’t like flat icon style (Windows 8–10, new macOS and iOS versions). Now we have more pixels and the user interface is like from early 90’s.
https://addons.mozilla.org/fi/firefox/addon/forecastfox-fix-version/
https://darksky.net or https://www.windy.com
are my sites of choice.
Now You: do you use a weather extension, apps, or sites?
Forecastfox (fix version) | addons.mozilla.org
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/forecastfox-fix-version/
It is a favorite extension from the beginning of release (2014.2).
This covers all parts of the globe using weather information provided by “AccuWeather.com” in the United States.
I can any pinpoint settings (postcode, coordinate input, address input, Google map, etc.).
I can register multiple coordinates, so this makes it easy to get an overview and forecast of the weather, such as job location and travel destination.
“Current situation” is accurate.
The forecast for “Today†(by hour) is also accurate.
The forecast accuracy “after a few days” is also amazing.
In my experience, there is nothing better than AccuWeather in the accuracy and amount of information on weather overview and forecasts.
By the way, my place of residence is Japan.
AccuWeather | Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AccuWeather
@owl: I jokingly said to my wife recently that if you take the exact opposite of the AccuWeather forecast you are more or less right. AccuWeather, no thanks.
@Klaas Vaak:
Not to mention that AccuWeather is pretty hostile to user privacy. Their business depends on selling user data, and they’ve been caught collecting user data even when users take steps to prevent it.
They’re one of the providers on my “don’t touch with a ten foot pole” list.
> Not to mention that AccuWeather is pretty hostile to user privacy. Their business depends on selling user data, and they’ve been caught collecting user data even when users take steps to prevent it.
Certainly, that’s right.
With direct access to AccuWeather.com, “NoScript Security Suite” or “uMatrix” detect many scripts.
However, when using this addon “Forecastfox (fix version)”, it will be an indirect connection, so it is limited to a script to pure weather information. (But be careful)
Addon “Forecastfox (fix version)” example of weather overview and forecasts:
https://i.imgur.com/Ti5ZQz8.png
In addition, I am using NordVPN.
And options of the extension “Chameleon” have been took measures.
Proven to the confidentiality of personal information with the following tools:
â— IP/DNS Detect | What is your IP, what is your DNS, what informations you send to websites.
https://ipleak.net/
â— My browser fingerprint | AmIUnique
https://amiunique.org/
Informative article:
â— Surveillance Self-Defense | Tips, Tools and How-tos for Safer Online Communications
https://ssd.eff.org/en
â— Encryption Against Global Mass Surveillance | PrivacyTools
https://www.privacytools.io/
â— How to Restore Your Online Privacy in 2019 | Privacy Tools
https://restoreprivacy.com/privacy-tools/
â— The ultimate Online Privacy Test Resource List | gHacks Tech News
https://www.ghacks.net/2015/12/28/the-ultimate-online-privacy-test-resource-list/
@John Fenderson: thanks for that John, I was not aware of it. Glad I decided to get rid of it.
For those who wish to have weather conditions available via an extension, ‘Weather (Extension)’ is certainly a good choice. Personally I don’t subscribe to extensions which bring you a popup corresponding to what the site, or another, brings you as well on their own page.
Of course extensions delivering data, when in real-time (updated in background) bring the information instantaneously; weather in my case doesn’t require that follow-up. Need I weather conditions and forecasting that I’ll call,
Time and Date at “https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/[PLACE]”
or
MeteoBlue at “https://www.meteoblue.com/”
Of course this concerns myself but, given my options are always the wisest, feel free to consider them as such*
* Early Morning smile of the day.
Meteoblue works well in US. One little thing I like is that it displays 24 hour time, a Windows 10 preference I have set that most applications ignore. I do not know if this is by design or not with Meteoblue, but it works the way I prefer.
@Tom Hawack: thanks for the MeteoBlue site tip. It seems like a decent site. I have tried a number of sites but their forecasts are plain wrong – even if e.g. the sun is shining outside they sometimes show rain, or vice versa. I’ll monitor MB, but their forecast for today is in line with what I see outside right now.
@Klaas, hi there! Long time no see! Happy New year! I guess we’re all aware that New year greetings may be expressed until the end of January but, as with an invitation, coming in too late is as rude as arriving too late. Personally I reserve January 31st for my enemies only :=)
Nice to know MeteoBlue doesn’t contradict human observation of the skies, in the same way religions shouldn’t contradict human observation of the heavens (Nope, no drugs here!).
MB is nice indeed, Swiss made, Swiss precision. And the weather info they provide goes far beyond temperature, sun & rain. really complete.
Time and Date delivers weather forecasts among … time, date but also a bunch of related data, astronomical included. Very nice place as well.
Read you later!
@Tom Hawack: my sincere apologies for not having wished a friend all the best for 2020. The year is off to a very rocky start – Iran – so my mind is really focused on that for now. Nevertheless, that is not an excuse for such poor manners on my side.
In the last quarter of 2018 I ditched Windows for good ( Win 8.1 was my last version) because I got fed up with MS’s sloppy updates, patches, and patches for patches, and, more troubling, their extremely sloppy procedure with Win 10. I could see Win 10 looming on the horizon for me (my laptop was getting old), so I took the plunge and went for Linux Mint.
I was very happy and impressed with it, despite some people’s disgruntlement (to put it mildly) with “systemd”. I tried some other distros too because I thought the best long term strategy would be to have a rolling release distro. For the latter, Artix, based on Arch but very user-friendly, is probably a good bet.
I had to buy my wife a new laptop, did not want to buy a Win-based one, and Linux Mint, though it is good still requires a bit too much attention for someone like her. So we bought a Macbook Air. Sheer heaven after her Win shenanigans, which I will not go into.
Well, the Apple bug got me too so I also bought myself a Macbook Air. Having got used to the Apple way of doing things and the different keyboard shortcuts (my favourite navigation system) I must say I am very happy.
I still follow the Ghacks site, despite its focus on Windows, articles about browsers and something as simple as the weather are worth it.
And, talking about browsers, FF was my primary browser but I got fed up with the antics and the uncertainty about their future direction. Someone on this forum once mentioned Dissenter, which I installed and tried out for a few months. It is blazing fast and a pleasure to work with. Nevertheless, there was no update since I installed it, which made me uneasy.
I have now installed Ungoogled Chromium because I do like the performance of this type of browser. UC is privacy-focused and updates as Chromium gets updated. Via the flags a lot of customisation is possible, though not as much as FF customisation. Am I sure UC is completely private? No, but then towards the end I had uneasy feelings about FF’s privacy drift – telemetry, etc. – which I know you can opt out of, but they keep sneaking things in.
OK, that’s it for now. Good to talk to you again. Once again: Happy New Year, and talk to you soon.
﹫Klaas Vaak: Good choice. I think MacBook Air is a good device for its purpose (I have an iMac) and I like also Linux (Mint). If I had more time then I would use (learn) Arch or Gentoo. Many keyboard shortcuts make things easier.
@Anonymous: my wife has the 2017 version – the one with the wide bezel – while I have the 2019 version – narrow bezel. If I could choose again I would go for the 2017 version. The keyboard is more pleasant, and the wider bezel makes the screen appear a bit larger (both are 13.3″ though). I have not noted the effect of higher resolution on the 2019 version.
Still, overall I am very happy.