Weather and Flight Apps

Get instant travel and flight info with cool apps.
By: Jim Morley
Severe weather, including snowstorms and hurricanes, have a way of altering travel plans. With the advent of smartphones and the explosion of apps, you can minimize your frustration and plan ahead.

Here are a few apps that offer instant weather and flight information to help stranded travelers adjust their travel plans during emergencies.
AccuWeather has several apps that cater to your instant information needs, including school closings and the weather’s effect on your health. We recommend the version that has a nifty exposé-style scroll to customize how you want your weather info to display. Get daily or hourly updates with video, maps and more. Forecasts are provided up to two weeks in advance, but as any weatherman will tell you, after 3 days they’re just guessing anyway. The display is bright and beautiful, and it appears slightly more effort was put into design than its free competitors.
Check out the WeatherBug app. Get live, local weather conditions and forecasts for free! The ad-supported application provides News Weather Service alerts, radar maps with a zoom feature and daily video of the national weather outlook. If that’s not enough for you, then the maybe the live weather cameras will peek your interest. Get your first glimpse of the weather on 5 cameras at once.
FlightTrack Pro offers real-time flight tracking with an animated overlay of your plane as it travels across the globe. View airport layouts, seat maps and options for alternate flights. This app is perfect for frequent fliers who prefer their bad news to come from their mobile device rather than the overhead intercom system at the airport terminal. The FlightTrack Pro, available on a variety of platforms, make it more accessible than Flight Update Prom, its competitor.
Flight Update Pro’s most notable feature is the trip sync. It’s also the most cumbersome feature. It takes a minute or 2 to maneuver your way around to get info about your flight and every minute counts. Once engaged it offers up-to-the-minute updates on your flight, gate changes and more. This is a perfect business traveler’s app because it keeps track of your expenses, which can be crucial when you’re back at the office sorting through a pile of receipts.
Forget 10-day forecasts -- with the WT360 apps, you can check the weather for anywhere in the world up to a year in advance. The app also has current weather information, along with detailed global 15-day forecasts with animated maps and hour-by-hour 7-day forecasts. Don’t let your next trip get rained out! Check WT3360 before you book with the comfort of knowing that their long-term weather information is 80% accurate.

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