Whether or not climate is at all times in your radar or merely a passing entrance of occasional curiosity, having an on-demand eye on the world round you is likely one of the strongest slices of sorcery you may set your sights on right this moment.
And this week, I wish to introduce you to a worthwhile new climate app I not too long ago encountered that’s decidedly totally different from the others. It isn’t meant to exchange no matter climate app you’re already utilizing, whether or not that’s the one which got here preinstalled in your cellphone or one other favourite you’ve discovered over time (possibly even one which serves up the forecast with a hilarious side of sass?).
Moderately, it serves one super-specific function—and serves it impressively properly. And it would simply be price your whereas to maintain round as a complement to no matter different climate wesource useful resource you’re utilizing.
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Your private precipitation station
Most climate apps intention to do all of it—to be your one-stop spot for each method of climate data you can probably surprise about.
This week’s Cool Instrument is extra of a specialist. It does only one extraordinarily particular weather-related factor, however good golly, does it do it properly.
➜ The app is known as Precip. Any guesses about its function?
Should you stated it knits you sweaters while making ready delightfully steamy stews, (a) glorious guess—however (b) sadly, that isn’t right.
Precip, as maybe would possibly’ve been your subsequent guess following sweaters ‘n’ stew, measures the rain and different precipitation round you.
- It isn’t providing up a forecast like most climate apps, in different phrases.
- It’s truly telling you the way a lot moisture got here down in any given space—over any time interval you need.
- And it enables you to zoom right into a slim space for supremely detailed and exact data, too, even taking place so far as to a particular tackle.
There’s only one asterisk: Precip’s information is proscribed to the U.S. and Canada, a minimum of in the interim. (Sorry, worldwide friends!)
Should you’re in a kind of areas, although, it’ll take you all of a single minute to begin utilizing:
- For one of the best and most strong expertise, you’ll wish to snag the cell app—out there on Android in addition to on iOS.
- You can additionally verify rainfall totals by zip code on the Precip website, however you gained’t be capable of zoom in any additional to precise areas or to entry any of the extra superior information.
Within the apps, you may search by metropolis, zip code, or avenue tackle, and you may see rain totals from the previous 12, 24, or 48 hours. It’s also possible to save particular areas after which simply observe their rain totals over time.

Precip provides much more data as part of its premium subscription, for 20 bucks a yr and up. However the app’s free model is lots highly effective, and odds are, it’ll be all you want. (That model additionally doesn’t even appear to have any adverts current, so far as I’ve seen to date.)
It’s like having your personal private rain gauge on the bottom—solely it exists fully in your purse or pocket, all inside your favourite gadget.
Not too shabby, I’d say.
- Precip is out there on the web in a restricted type or in a local Android app and iOS app for a extra full expertise.
- It’s free at its base degree, with non-obligatory subscriptions beginning at $20-a-year for a wide range of further skills.
- The apps do require you to sign up with an electronic mail tackle to make use of a lot of their options, however they don’t require every other private data—and the builders say they don’t share any information with anybody.
Check out my free Cool Tools newsletter for much more helpful software program surprises—beginning with a standout audio app that’ll tune up your days in some pleasant methods.