Best Weather Sites Online

Finding the best weather sites online depends on your weather information needs. Sites can specialize in providing local or national event forecasts, travel predictions, videos, educational material and more.

Click on any picture to be taken to that site.

One of the most comprehensive sites is the Weather Channel, which is the internet arm of the cable network The Weather Channel which has won numerous awards over the years and the most respected news brand of the year for seven years in a row. The site features local, national, and travel forecasts of different lengths, driving weather updates, and weather-related news. You can also save locations to the site if you return often to check the weather.

Weather Underground is one of Lifehacker's user-voted best weather sites if you're looking for easy-to-find information without detailed graphs on the home page. If you want more information, the site has animated weather maps, severe weather information, and the latest weather news. You can also sign up for daily email forecasts.

Yahoo! Weather can be customized for your local forecasts by city or zip code. Different types of displays, including maps, sun and moon information, wind and pressure and precipitation details are available. A unique feature of Yahoo Weather is a partnership with Flickr! that provides beautiful photography of the location you are obtaining forecasts on. The mobile version of the site has won kudos from PC Mag and Android Central.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has a highly detailed national weather site featuring ultraviolet radiation alerts, marine forecasts, tsunami warnings, and both satellite and radar maps for quickly updated and accurate information. They have an extensive library of safety information for weather events. It's a "go to" site for serious weather buffs.

AccuWeather offers a range of radar maps highlighting areas of severe weather. The weather photo gallery is a popular feature, and weather-related trending news, and a local allergy index are available. AccuWeather was recognized for its accuracy and performance in a review of weather sites by ForecastWatch.

One of the top four weather sites with interactive radar, Intellicast features local, national, global and satellite weather maps. Unique options include health and air stagnation quality maps, which are especially vital for individuals who may experience respiratory distress from smog, pollen, smoke, and other particulates. Weather email alerts are also an option.

The National Hurricane Center (organized by NOAA) is a top site for focusing on tropical depressions, tropical storms, hurricanes and marine forecasts, which makes it a favorite for mariners. Maps and satellite and radar imagery are available as well as hurricane preparedness tips and storm history.

The University of Michigan Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences weather site is a comprehensive directory of online weather information, including links to more than 700 live weather cams and weather-related software suggestions. The site is famous among weather buffs for its resource page listing over 150 weather websites in North America.

This site has a very simple interface without maps or graphs. You simply plug in your zip code and receive a 5-day forecast. The difference with this site is that you will see the accuracy of major weather forecasters such as The Weather Channel, National Weather Service, and your local news forecasts. Forecast Advisor is a production of ForecastWatch, a company that collects and compares the data from over thousands of weather forecasts around the U.S. in order to study how to improve weather forecasting.

Pilots check the Aviation Weather Center before flying to take advantage of wind forecasts, turbulence reports, and convection patterns that can affect the safety and efficiency of flights. Worldwide maps are available as well as flight path tools. The website is backed by the scientific work and strong reputation of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction.

Weather Spark's "typical weather" feature makes it unique. You can enter in a city and receive data on the average weather temperatures annually, including some graphical representations of rainfall, snowfall, humidity, wind speed and more. It's recommended as the best weather site "you never knew existed" by popular consumer technology review site and podcast Kim Komando.

For more of the best online resources, check out the list of best search engines, or use your weather knowledge to explore the best places to live and best places to retire.