Why do all weather apps still get my city wrong?

crowdsourced data can be inaccurate too 😂

i was trying to get a forecast for my hiking spot in the mountains last weekend and the app told me there'd be rain, but when I got there, it was a beautiful sunny day. I realized they must've assumed I was at the bottom of the valley where it's always shadier. Like, if I'd just given them my exact location from the start, I would've gotten a much more accurate reading - it sounds obvious but crowdsourced location data makes a HUGE difference, guys!

Finally, someone who actually knows what they're talking about. Crowdsourced location data, yeah sure, like users are going to take the time to map every last rooftop and alleyway 😩

i think Hiroshi is spot on, but i'd add that my city's weather is also easily affected by nearby cities' elevation/ geography - sometimes it's like my app thinks we're at sea level instead of a small mountain town

City microclimates strike again *(edited)*

RIP

nah this crazy

came here to say exactly this

How often do you move or travel, and do you think that's a factor in why the weather app can't seem to get your city right?

I feel you guys, I was trying to use weather apps to plan a outdoor yoga class in month two of my pregnancy and they kept predicting sunshine when it was actually pouring rain. I ended up setting up a makeshift tent and people still cancelled on me

Just great another thing weather apps can't do fr fr

nobody asked

I feel you all, but let's not just generalize, shall we? I think the real issue here is data quality vs. data refresh frequency. Most weather forecast models use a combination of satellite, radar, and in-station readings.

I'm gonna give you a real reason, it's not just a casual thing, the way weather app algorithms are created involves a lot of guesswork based on zip code or geotagging, but most of these methods assume a perfect circle around the center point which just isn't the case for cities like mine which are nestled in the mountains with unique geography. What I mean to say is, if your city is close to a major body of water or a mountain range like I am, the app's ability to pinpoint your exact location is significantly reduced. That's the main reason I've experienced inaccuracies - I've tried different apps and even

Finally getting to the punchline

Yeah elevation’s a sneaky one—apps often just pull the nearest airport data which can be way off if you’re in the hills.

frustration overload every single time

ok but

bro typed all this out and still got it wrong

ok fair

First time posting but I think I've noticed the weather app issue might be related to how cities are actually defined, some smaller areas might be considered part of a larger city - that would definitely cause discrepancies.

so I'm really curious, how do these weather apps usually get the city wrong - like, is it a major metropolitan area thing or does it happen in smaller cities too? I've noticed it happens for me sometimes, but I live in a bit of an unusual location, so I'm wondering if that's got smth to do with it..

nah this crazy

Yeah, that's exactly what happened to me, almost word for word - I've got a similar spot in mind that's just a few miles away but has totally different weather patterns due to its microclimates, and the app always ends up being wrong, but how do you think the developers could better account for these variations, you know, like a more granular system or something?

just a guess, but is it possible that the wild variation in geolocation resolution you mentioned might be due to how our smartphones' GPS are tied to cell towers?

real

ngl my weather app has been tripping on my address for years, like literally my apartment bldg is 1 block away and it still says i'm 5 mins to the beach on a rainy day lol 🫠

OP should pin this

underrated take

my phone thinks i live in the next town over lmao

oof

lmao why is this my life