Weather apps are getting smarter and more useful

Recently, when I asked Alexa what the temperature was outside, it provided the complete forecast for the day along with a traffic update. Apparently, the traffic update is a new feature. At least that’s what Alexa told me.

Later that same day, I got an alert on my phone telling me the rain was “expected to start at your location at 3:48 PM.” You can probably guess what happened at 3:48 PM. It started to rain. That too is a new feature added to iPhones with the iOS15 software update.

More and more consumers don’t need to look for weather information. It’s showing up on smartphones automatically! Storm warnings, notifications about big changes in temperature, and alerts telling us when it’s going to start and stop raining are personalized based on our location.

Know your competition

The competition isn’t the TV station across town. It’s the smartphone. I know that. You know that. We all know that. The problem is these apps are getting better and more useful. And the question is what are you doing about it?

Broadcast meteorologists like to point out that smartphone forecasts aren’t accurate. But let’s be honest: weather apps are accurate enough to be useful. That’s why we use them, too. And sorry to be the one to break the news, but many people think broadcast meteorologists aren’t very accurate. The playing field seems pretty level when it comes to accuracy.

These days you won’t become the go-to weather expert in your community simply by providing the forecast. The content in every one of your weather hits needs to focus on your viewers. What do they need and want to know about the weather right now? And remember, people don’t necessarily know what they need to know.

I tell my coaching clients to do a thumbnail test before they go on-air. Look at the scenes in your show and count how many include information viewers will not find on their smartphones. The answer better not be zero.

The future of broadcast meteorology

I worry about the day that the weather is no longer part of every newscast. Someday soon, a young producer who grew up getting the latest news from their smartphone and social media is going to walk into the weather center and say, “Since nothing is going on in the weather, we’re just going to bump out of the B-Block with the extended forecast graphic.”

Don’t think it won’t happen? Tell that to the folks in the sports department. Sports is no longer part of every newscast in many markets because scores are available on smartphones.

The future of broadcast meteorology relies entirely on our ability to deliver The Essential Message in every weather hit. We generally do a good job of this during severe weather. But so does every other station. We need to deliver essential information every day! There’s no such thing as a quiet weather day. There is always something happening or forecast to develop that is of interest to somebody somewhere.

Broadcast meteorologists have an important job. But it’s not an essential job. Most of the information presented in the typical weathercast can be found with one tap on most smartphones. People don’t need to wait and watch the weather on TV to get the current temperature, the hour-by-hour forecast, or the 10-day outlook.

We are slowly being replaced by a piece of technology that fits in the palm of your hand. And that should worry you if your paycheck relies on people coming to you for the latest weather information. Hopefully, it also motivates you to rethink the content you produce, publish, and post. The weather apps are getting smarter. Are you?

Tim Heller is an AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist, Talent Coach, and Weather Content Consultant. He helps local TV stations and broadcast meteorologists communicate more effectively on-air, online, and on social media.