- Dark Sky founders have launched a new forecast app, Acme Weather
- The new app displays alternate forecast readings to show weather changes that could occur throughout the day
- It’s also added a community reporting tool, as well as refined custom notifications settings
Remember the days of the Dark Sky weather app before it was dissolved by Apple? Well, its creators are back with an alternative that acknowledges that weather forecasts are often very wrong.
The new weather forecast platform, called Acme Weather, is now available to download on iOS devices, with plans to bring it to Android already in the works. You can try it out with a two-week free trial, and then it requires a $25 yearly subscription fee, working out a lot cheaper than Dark Sky’s $3.99 monthly charge.
Acme Weather marks the founders’ return to forecast apps since Apple acquired Dark Sky in 2020, whose tools were eventually adopted into the flagship Weather app (which faces scrutiny for its inaccuracies) when Dark Sky was phased out.
But the main selling point of Acme Weather is that it doesn’t just give you one forecast prediction; it provides you with alternate weather outcomes to show which direction your local forecast could go in. Co-founder Adam Grossman goes into further detail in his blog post, sharing the following insight:
“It’s simple: when looking at the landscape of the countless weather apps out there, many of them lovely, we found ourselves feeling unsatisfied. The more we spoke to friends and family, the more we heard that many of them did too. And, of course, we missed those days as a small scrappy shop.”
Using multiple data sources, including weather prediction models, satellite data, and ground station observations, Acme Weather provides a ‘main’ forecast reading, supported by additional forecast lines with alternate outcomes, showing possible weather changes (see below).
The black line indicates Acme Weather’s primary forecast reading, while the faint gray lines highlight the changes that could occur. When the alternate lines are grouped closer together, it indicates that the main forecast prediction is reliable, and when the alternate lines are more spread out, it shows that the weather will likely change throughout the day. This way, you’ll have a better idea of what to expect and can plan ahead accordingly.
To improve forecast accuracy, Acme Weather has also developed a community reporting feature that lets users submit local weather reports in the app. You can choose from a list of pre-selected weather conditions or even use emojis, and Acme will display them in the app for other users in your area to view.
As far as other weather apps go, I find that most of them haven’t quite hit the nail on the head when it comes to notifications. Though I use the Met Office app and trust it with my life, I have to remember to constantly check it, and sometimes my homescreen widget displays incorrect data. Acme Weather is doubling down on the notifications front, bringing Dark Sky’s reliable notifications system over, but with a new twist.
Beyond notifications from community reports, timely rain warnings, and even government-issued severe forecast warnings, Acme Weather introduces a new custom notifications tool allowing you to set your notifications based on your biggest interests and concerns.
As mentioned, Acme Weather is currently only available on iOS, so you’ll have to wait a little longer for its Android debut. Although it’s early days, Acme Weather already looks like a faithful continuation of what Dark Sky started, and it’s brewing some trouble for Apple’s Weather app.
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rowan.davies@futurenet.com (Rowan Davies)
