Google Weather app is redesigning with 12 hour machine learning predictions.

Remember when we talked about how Google’s products often outshine the competition? Well, Google Weather is definitely one of them. It’s known for providing super-accurate weather forecasts. But, in 2020, Apple snatched up Dark Sky and made it exclusive to iOS.

So, here’s the deal: Android users have been craving a weather app that gives precise predictions for rain, hail, and snow in the next few hours. Guess what? According to 9to5Google, Google plans to bring the Weather app’s Nowcast feature to more devices. If you need to learn what Nowcast is, I’ll explain.

Google Updates Weather App with Nowcast on Pixel Tablet and Fold

Remember how we discussed Apple’s Dark Sky feature in their Weather app? Dark Sky offers hyperlocal forecasts, upcoming hourly precipitation, and 10-day forecasts. Android users have been missing out since Apple acquired it in March 2020.

Google has been busy. Using machine learning, they’ve developed a precise weather forecasting model called Google Nowcast. This feature can predict rain, hail, and snow up to 12 hours in advance. How does it beat Dark Sky? It uses Multi-Radar/Multi-Sensor System (MRMS) and high-resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) data.

These systems pull data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other sources. Because of this, Google Nowcast refreshes multiple times per hour, offering the most accurate weather predictions. This feature is now available on Google Pixel Tablet and Fold, supporting 26 languages. It’ll roll out to other devices soon, though the timing is still under wraps.

Android users, who’ve been bummed about Dark Sky going iOS-only, have a reason to be excited. Thanks to fresh data and machine learning, Google’s Nowcast model promises the best weather predictions. We’ll have to wait for the official announcement, but thanks to 9to5Google, we know it’s coming.

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