Weather app inaccuracy

I have tried a bunch of weather apps on my Lumia 635 and prior to that the 520. I keep coming back to the default MSN weather app, and one reason is it has the best live tile I've seen. I dropped some of the apps because the weather forecasting itself wasn't as good. Notably, weather bug just wasn't as accurate for my location. The National Weather service is the gold standard as far as I am concerned for weather accuracy, and especially where I live their forecast is just about spot on--I live within 30 miles of a major NWS station. I believe MSN weather gets their weather from the NWS, but lately I have noticed significant variation from the NWS forecast. For example, yesterday the low was predicted to be 3 degrees by NWS while my weather app was predicting a low of 15 below zero! That's a difference of 18 degrees! Up here that can be the difference between life and death if you go out unprepared. I've noticed the same thing with regard to current temperatures. The NWS website will show one temp, while the MSN app shows another--the NWS temp is always closer to the truth. Same thing with precipitation forecasts. Is MSN weather no longer using the National Weather Service? What gives?

That's quite a the wall of text.... Paragraphs man, paragraphs.

It would probably be best to send some feedback to MS. This is a user forum.

This is where MSN weather gets their data from
Sent from Tapatalk on my Lumia Icon

After I created the original post I looked at the settings screen shown above and saw for the first time that the MSN weather app uses AccuWeather and not the data directly from the National Weather Service. Interesting! Apparently they should change the name to InaccuWeather the way their forecasts and temperatures have been lately in my location. Can anyone suggest an app that takes the weather direct from the National Weather Service?

Suggestion: ask this question in the app forum. This is not a 635 issue.

Originally Posted by Ten Four

After I created the original post I looked at the settings screen shown above and saw for the first time that the MSN weather app uses AccuWeather and not the data directly from the National Weather Service. Interesting! Apparently they should change the name to InaccuWeather the way their forecasts and temperatures have been lately in my location. Can anyone suggest an app that takes the weather direct from the National Weather Service?

What kind of inaccuracy are we talking? And where do you live?

Look outside once in a while...its super accurate in San Diego 73 and sunshine.

MSN is way inaccurate. I live in a city, too. I gave up on MSN weather/Cortana because at times it would be more than 10 degrees off. Cortana would tell me it was sunny while it was pouring rain. I rotate between Amazing Weather, the Weather Channel, and Blue Skies. They don't use NWS, but they are almost always within a couple degrees of the official local airport temp. Amazing Weather has the best tiles and lock screen.

Accuracy of weather apps really depend on the accuracy of the source for your given area.

For me in the UK, I find that anything using iForecast data is pretty much spot on.

I live near Albany, NY. I just looked. MSN Weather says it will go down to 8 below zero tonight, NOAA Hi-Def Radar (great for radar, by the way) says it will go down to 2 below zero, and the National Weather Service says it will go down to 4 below zero. Current temp on MSN and NOAA Hi-Def shows 19 degrees, and NWS shows 18 degrees, while my backyard thermometer (pretty accurate one) shows 17 degrees. That's a lot closer than I have seen these three lately, but not very satisfactory for the forecasts. I understand the actual temperature will be off by a degree or two due to different locations, etc. But, you would think the forecasts would be very close, even if in the end of the actual temp reached is hard to predict. They must use different data/sources. I haven't conducted a scientific study, but in general I find that the NWS predictions are closest to the mark for what I get at my house.

Originally Posted by Ten Four

I live near Albany, NY. I just looked. MSN Weather says it will go down to 8 below zero tonight, NOAA Hi-Def Radar (great for radar, by the way) says it will go down to 2 below zero, and the National Weather Service says it will go down to 4 below zero. Current temp on MSN and NOAA Hi-Def shows 19 degrees, and NWS shows 18 degrees, while my backyard thermometer (pretty accurate one) shows 17 degrees. That's a lot closer than I have seen these three lately, but not very satisfactory for the forecasts. I understand the actual temperature will be off by a degree or two due to different locations, etc. But, you would think the forecasts would be very close, even if in the end of the actual temp reached is hard to predict. They must use different data/sources. I haven't conducted a scientific study, but in general I find that the NWS predictions are closest to the mark for what I get at my house.

I actually live in Berkshire County, Ma, so actually right in your general area. I find MSN Weather to be accurate where I am.

Also, what kind of thermometer do you have at your house...digital, mercury, or alcohol?

Hi--I have a digital thermometer from Oregon Scientific. But, I'm not so concerned with the temperature at a specific moment as the overall trend where the forecasts of temperature seem to be off by quite a bit. I see that MSN Weather uses data from AccuWeather. For example, just now I looked and the MSN app is predicting a high of 26 degrees and a low of negative 1 degree, while the NWS mobile site is predicting a high of 25 degrees and a low of 20 degrees. Now c'mon! A difference of 21 degrees in the predicted low for tonight!

Just for kicks, compare what you're getting on the MSN app to mobile.weather.gov for your location.

Originally Posted by Ten Four

Hi--I have a digital thermometer from Oregon Scientific. But, I'm not so concerned with the temperature at a specific moment as the overall trend where the forecasts of temperature seem to be off by quite a bit. I see that MSN Weather uses data from AccuWeather. For example, just now I looked and the MSN app is predicting a high of 26 degrees and a low of negative 1 degree, while the NWS mobile site is predicting a high of 25 degrees and a low of 20 degrees. Now c'mon! A difference of 21 degrees in the predicted low for tonight!

Just for kicks, compare what you're getting on the MSN app to mobile.weather.gov for your location.

I just did a check on now as well as the seven day forecast and they're virtually identical in both regards. The temperature on your thermometer (especially digital) could end up being different if it's in the direct sun or in the shade all of the time. For that reason, I would actually trust temperatures from Accuweather/TWC/NWS/etc over ones from an outdoor thermometer in general. I also wouldn't just assume that the NWS is automatically better than Accuweather or TWS.

I also wouldn't just assume that the NWS is automatically better than Accuweather or TWS.

My personal observations are that of every weather service I have tried, the best forecasting comes from the National Weather Service. I'm not as focused on the few degrees difference between my thermometer and what the apps are saying. I am interested in what the app is saying will happen in 6-12 hours, or for the next few days. As I pointed out, for some reason MSN Weather has been wildly inaccurate in predicting that lately, varying by 20 degrees or more from what the National Weather service projects, especially for night time temperatures.

Interesting. There was an update yesterday for Weather. After the update the MSN app seems to track much more closely with what the National Weather Service is predicting for my location. Microsoft has been reading this forum! Who knows?

I live in Columbia, Missouri. Two days ago the MSN forecast said 100% likelihood of snow today. I was keeping an eye on that, and was disappointed when it changed to only 20% today. Earlier today it said the temperature was 35. OK, fair enough, not quite freezing. Then an hour later it said it was -3 degrees Fahrenheit, with temps even lower every day this week. I said Whoa! It's been YEARS since we had temperatures that low, is that for real, especially when it was 32 an hour ago? It was cold out, but not THAT cold. I checked other weather sites which said it was 34, 35. I've checked several times, thinking it was a mistake, and they accidentally put in temps for Nome, Alaska, but it STILL says it's -3, even six hours later. What kind of weather site is THAT inaccurate? Not even a mistaken forecast, but thirty-five degrees off on current temperature!