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Hot, cold, sun, rain. Never like this year in Italy have we had to learn to deal with sudden climate change. And yet, being ready for yet another downpour or the return of the sun is possible, thanks to technology. Apps and gadgets come to meet us, at least to better adapt to what Nature has in store for us. A first information channel is that of apps. Among the most famous in our country is Il Meteo, both for Android and iOS. Its strong point is the possibility of updating the forecasts with what is happening in the place where you are in real time. Furthermore, a few months ago, the “forecast comparison” function was introduced, not clearly visible from the main screen and placed at the end of the week in the city being monitored. When clicked, the app compares forecasts against four third-party data sources from global analysis centers. A way to get a better idea of the weather it will do, taking into account the averages of each source.
Recently, the SimilarWeb online service has compiled a ranking of the best Italian weather apps. In the first positions there is 3B Meteo. Also in this case, very detailed forecasts are offered, with news and videos for the main cities. To make the likelihood of sun or rain, and everything in between, more transparent, the app presents a “confidence” rating for each forecast shown. The amount of pollen and the state of air pollution complete the picture, together with the “alerts” section, particularly useful in this period, due to the presence of items such as “sultriness” and “rain”.
The next step is to integrate what mobile apps say with handy home accessories that can further enhance your understanding of the weather, with up-to-date forecast information. For example, the Netatmo weather station (from 190 euros), which from this year also supports the Google assistant, after Alexa and Siri. The basic package is made up of two elements: an external module and an internal one. The first detects all the atmospheric conditions of the environment while the second provides additional information, such as the noise level in the room. In particular, the gadget to be placed outside in the garden, or in the window, studies the data collected in the past, correlating them with those measured in the present to reduce the margin of error on future weather conditions. An advantage of Netatmo is the opportunity to expand the ecosystem with dedicated tools. Among others, the wireless rain gauge (from 80 euros), which collects the amount of rain that has fallen to know exactly the amount of precipitation in the place of installation in the measure of millimeters per hour. Who can it be useful for? Mainly for those who want to take extreme care of their garden, avoiding unnecessary watering and preserving the plants if abundant rainfall is expected. Tools for everyone, not for meteorology professionals and “connoisseurs”. These can turn to something higher level and therefore more expensive. The Bresser brand, specialist in the subject, offers a solar-powered weather station (from 499 euros). This too is made up of two elements: the actual station to be installed outside and the 19-inch display monitor to keep with you. On this, you can see the forecast data from the external module cross-referenced with that from the ProWeatherLive platform. The indications cover eight days and include the maximum and minimum temperatures and the possibility of rain with additional information such as local visibility and cloud cover. A slightly cheaper competitor is Sainlogic, which makes its own Wi-Fi weather station (from 219 euros). In this case there is an extra element: the sensor for detecting the wind. Sainlogic measures wind speed and direction, rainfall, outside temperature, solar radiation, ultraviolet radiation and the phase of the moon. Once the product is registered on the official site, each user receives a unique code with which he can contribute to sending monitoring data to two of the world‘s leading meteorological archives, Weather Underground or the WeatherCloud network.