The new ‘Acme Weather’ app from the creators of Dark Sky seeks to fix the biggest problem with weather apps

The team behind Dark Sky is back with a new iPhone weather app called “Acme Weather.” One of Acme Weather’s main goals, according to the group, is to address “climate uncertainty.”

Rather than simply giving you “one best guess” like other weather apps, Acme Weather acknowledges that the forecast it shows may be wrong … and offers alternatives.

Acme Weather comes from the team behind Dark Sky

As a refresher, Dark Sky was a very popular third-party weather app for iPhone and Android that focused on local, real-time forecasts. The app was acquired by Apple in March 2020 and was eventually shut down in January 2023. Apple has included some of Dark Sky’s features in the stock Apple Weather app. It also introduces the WeatherKit API for developers.

So, why did the Dark Sky team leave Apple? In a blog post, producer Adam Grossman explained:

We enjoyed our time at Apple. So why did we go and start another weather company?

It’s simple: when we look at the countless weather apps out there, many of them lovely, we find ourselves feeling dissatisfied. The more we talked to friends and family, the more we heard that many of them did too. And, of course, we missed those days as a scrappy little shop.

Acme Weather’s main feature is something called Alternative Forecasts. This is motivated by the idea that no weather forecast will ever be 100% accurate. “The weather is volatile, volatile and dynamic,” explained Grossman. “Predictions are often wrong.”

Instead of showing you a probable forecast, Acme Weather acknowledges that uncertainty and “includes the idea that our forecast will sometimes be wrong.”

Acme Weather still says its main forecast model “will be a reliable source of information.” In fact, they say it’s better than what they used in Dark Sky. Forecasts are produced based on multiple sources, including “numerical weather prediction models, satellite data, ground station observations, and radar data.”

That prediction, however, is supplemented by the aforementioned possibilities that “capture a range of other possible outcomes.”

Grossman explains:

First, the spread of the lines gives some kind of insight into how reliable the forecast is. Take the two predictions below. First, some forecasts are firmly established and the forecast can be considered strong and reliable. Second, there is a significant spread, which is an indication that something is there and the forecast is subject to change. A call to action to explore other scenarios or maps, or return to the app again and again.

Second, it shows what else is clearly possible. What time will the storm arrive? Will the snow come early, or could it be delayed and turn more rainy? When the weather changes rapidly, forecasts can be unreliable. We will show you a different possible future, so you can know better.

Acme Weather also offers a social reporting feature, which allows users to post reports of current conditions near them. There are also dedicated Acme Weather maps for things like radar and lightning, precipitation, snow totals, temperature, cloud cover, and more.

Finally, the app includes strong support for notifications. “Our alerts include everything from down-to-the-minute rainfall warnings, to government severe weather warnings, imminent lightning, community reports, even if a rainbow can be seen outside your house,” Grossman explained.

9to5Mac’s Take

I’m a fan of weather apps and weather data, and Acme Weather is joining my arsenal. What impresses me most about the app is how well it takes a large amount of information and breaks it down into a really readable interface.

Some apps just show it to you one Weather forecasting feels beyond the power of Acme Weather, it shows many predictions that can happen at the same time.

You can download Acme Weather from the App Store. The app is $25 per year with a two-week free trial. It’s currently available for iPhone, but the team says an Android version is coming soon.

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