Finding a weather forecast for hiking can be tough because most weather apps just have forecasts for cities and towns. Since it’s so important to know the weather when you hike, I’ve put together a complete guide to the best weather apps for hiking.
I’ve been hiking and backpacking for several decades, usually in the notoriously wet weather of British Columbia, so I’ve developed lots of tips and tricks for finding weather forecasts for hiking over the years.
These hiking weather recommendations work anywhere in the world, but they are especially helpful in North America in regions where there is no cell phone service on hiking trails.
This guide includes:
- The five best weather apps for hiking
- A list of popular weather apps that aren’t helpful for hikers
- Other weather-related websites to help hikers assess forest fire smoke, annual climate data, and snowpack
- Helpful weather tips for hikers
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The Best Weather Websites and Apps for Hikers
Spotwx
While their interface is pretty basic (and maybe a little bit retro!), Spotwx is a great weather website for hikers. The thing I like best about it is you can select a pinpoint location on a map and get a weather forecast for that exact location.
As well, it allows you to toggle between multiple forecast models. I use this to get an idea of what the best and worst-case scenarios might be on my trip. They have a range of shorter and longer-term models to choose from.
I also like the way it displays data in graphs. I often take a screenshot of the graphs so I can refer to them later on my trip. The graphs are pretty small on a phone, but if you zoom in they are easy to read.
Website: Spotwx.com
Mountain Forecast
I find Mountain Forecast really helpful for high elevation trips since it provides a weather forecast for thousands of named mountains around the world. It also lets you toggle between a forecast for the peak as well as a few lower elevations (where you are likely going to be camping and hiking).
One of my favourite features of this site is the way they display freezing level and precipitation, both of which can be important in the mountains.
I like the grid display for the forecast and often take screenshots from this site on my trips. They provide a detailed three-day forecast, and then a less precise six-day forecast. (Scroll to the right to see it on mobile.)
The only disadvantage of Mountain Forecast is that it works best if you know the name of a mountain near the trail you plan to hike. But you can always just use the map on the main page to navigate to the area you are interested in, then zoom in to see if there are nearby peaks that have a forecast.
Website: Mountain-Forecast.com
Windy
Available both as a website and an app, Windy has tons of weather data. In fact, I sometimes find it a bit overwhelming. It has forecasts for thousands of named locations around the world. For hikes, you may need to search for the name of a nearby lake, mountain, etc. to find the relevant forecast.