This hilarious weather app is helping me cope with the co…

You have to laugh so you don’t cry

Jade Lassalle is a writer for Android Police, based in Hamilton, Ontario. As a dedicated writer and student of technology, Jade offers insight to everyday Android users who are looking to optimize their experience. She creates helpful, relatable content by using a hands-on approach to exploring the many functions and features of Android. Jade believes technology should be accessible to everyone.  Jade’s expertise covers a wide range of topics including technology, music, and reproductive health.

Her work can be found at MobileSyrup, Reya Health, and Melodic Magazine.  When she’s not writing, Jade enjoys exploring the city with her family, reading, and crocheting. I’m not a winter person, and I have never been. As soon as the temperature dips below 30°F, I have a really hard time leaving the house, and when I do, I’m usually miserable and covered in hives (I’m literally allergic to the cold).

Checking the weather forecast has been a depressing part of my morning routine in recent weeks. Temperatures have been plummeting to -4°F, and the sun seemed to have abandoned us for a while. Here’s the good news: I found a weather app that actually takes the edge off a little bit. What The Forecast by Byzantine Apps LLC is an accurate, Android and iOS weather app that keeps it extremely real. Its main forecast page and loading screens are equipped with more than 9,000 irreverent, sarcastic, and optionally profane phrases to describe current weather conditions.

For me, -4°F is a perfectly appropriate occasion for maximum profanity. If that’s not your vibe, you can adjust your settings to include some profanity, minimal profanity, and none. Even with minimal profanity, the phrases are still very funny. But if you abhor the cold as much as I do, I recommend the more intense settings. The higher you go, the more outlandish and ridiculous the phrases become.

You can always play around with the settings to figure out what you prefer. Beyond the snarky quips and accurate weather alerts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), What The Forecast has a lot to offer. The interface is quite simple, but you have a few options for customization, including the background, text color, and shadow color and width. Switching between Celsius and Fahrenheit is as easy as tapping on the temperature, which I especially appreciated for the purposes of writing this article as a Canadian writer.

With the default background, there is a wind turbine animation that actually changes speed according to current weather conditions. The best part is What The Forecast’s ample menu of indexes, found by tapping the plus icon in the upper-right corner of the screen. In addition to the common Air Quality Index (AQI) included with most weather apps, you’ll find indexes for arthritis, migraines, swimming, golfing, and more.

I suffer from migraines regularly, and I often forget how the weather can contribute to them. Sometimes, the only thing that can fix a migraine is time, but I’m always happy to add tools to my arsenal that can help with prevention. Migraine and arthritis indexes indicate the likelihood of experiencing migraines or arthritis on a given day. Simple. Swimming and golf indexes indicate how good or bad the weather conditions are for those activities.

Easy! And then there are bees. The bee index seems to be backwards in the sense that there are virtually no bees because it’s the middle of the winter, and the bee index reads “Terrible.” Maybe it’s terrible if you’re outside actively looking for bees. But who’s looking for bees? I would venture to say most of us, when viewing a bee index, would assume that green means fewer bees, red means lots of them.

It’s true that most people could probably figure out this quirk with a moment’s consideration. I would prefer for there to be no uncertain terms around the number of bees outside. Maybe that’s just me. Meanwhile, the cold/flu index reads minimal for the entire week, at the height of cold and flu season, which doesn’t exactly make sense. What The Forecast has a few options for users who want an ad-free experience with extras including widgets and radar.

While I think all the subscription rates are very reasonable, it’s possible that the free version is a little too good. I don’t see myself needing any of the features that a subscription would afford me. Most of the time, I’m more than okay with paying a few dollars to remove ads from any app that I use regularly. And frankly, WTForecast has a lot of ads. But the ads are placed in such a way that you barely notice them.

There is one small banner ad at the bottom of the main page, and the rest of the ads are tucked way down below all the important information, essentially hidden. I have never seen a pop-up ad on What The Forecast. If you have to include ads in a free app, which most free apps do to make any money, this is such an efficient and courteous way to do it. There isn’t much I would change about WTForecast.

For the way I use it, it’s fine as is. But there are a couple of tweaks that would add to the fun a little bit. WTForecast has done a lovely thing by bringing a little laughter and levity to the coldest winter days. Whether you’re looking for a few giggles in the throes of a cold snap, hunting for bees, or hoping to add a few quips to your small talk toolbox, WTForecast could be a great option.

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