A new AccuWeather mobile application that allows hyper-local weather forecasts to be checked with a glance at an Android Wear smartwatch brings together a demand for fast information with up-to-the-minute forecasts for an exact location.

AccuWeather's app for Android Wear features AccuWeather MinuteCast, a global minute-by-minute precipitation forecast for a precise street address or GPS location. The app points to how consumers are coming to rely on data as connected and mobile technology becomes more ubiquitous and new kinds of wearables and other smart devices are developed.

?There is a voracious desire for mobile weather data and original design manufacturers are finding new ways to provide connected devices that fit into users? lives,? said William Smith, vice president of digital media tech operations for AccuWeather, State College, PA.

 

?AccuWeather works with every major manufacturer in the world, with 1.3 billion apps installed on mobile and connected devices. 

?We have a history of innovation as early movers in whatever new developments arise ? from smartcars to smartwatches, connected appliances to connected homes ? and we intend to keep ahead of the curve, meeting new users? needs as they arise,? he said.

AccuWeather MinuteCast includes precipitation type and intensity, as well as start and end times for precipitation, and gives users by-the-minute precipitation forecasts for the next two hours.

The program also furnishes severe weather alerts, hourly forecasts, and current conditions.

In addition to receiving minute-by-minute precipitation forecasts for two hours hyper-localized to an exact street address or GPS location, the user sees two-day forecasts with severe weather warnings for a GPS location and a time clock. 

When the program forecasts snow, ice, rain, wind, or the probability of thunderstorms, an orange exclamation point is displayed within the location?s current and 15-day screens.

Users also receive push notifications for severe weather alerts in the United States. 

The app?s service includes radar for all of North America and Europe, and worldwide satellite overlaying interactive Google Maps with a snapshot view of the maps for saved locations. 

Current news and weather videos, with many available in both English and Spanish, also are on the app.

Tapping a social media sharing feature lets the user share his or her location?s current conditions, hourly, or 15-day forecasts using the social media apps on a device.

Users also get local weather forecasts and customization from AccuWeather. That includes accurate and local forecasts for every latitude/longitude on Earth. 

Forecasts are updated every 15 minutes with information for the next 15 days ? all in 33 languages and dialects.

MinuteCast is available for the contiguous United States, Canada, Japan, Ireland, France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Netherlands, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, and parts of the Czech Republic.

AccuWeather for Android Wear, and for Android smartphones and tablets, is available from Google Play.  

AccuWeather has been aggressively pairing its weather casting technology with brand names recently to reach consumers on mobile. 

Late last year, Ford Motor and AccuWeather announced they would join forces to let Ford vehicle drivers plan and time trips around weather conditions, enabling AccuWeather?s smartphone app to work with Ford?s AppLink connected car technology.

Ford owners could use the integration of AccuWeather for Ford Sync AppLink to obtain minute-by-minute, hyper-localized weather forecasts to a driver?s exact street address for up to two hours. It was the latest example of Ford?s leadership in connected car technology, part of its outreach to technology-savvy millennial buyers.

?People need and want their weather wherever they go and they look to a known and trusted brand like AccuWeather for that information,? Mr. Smith said. 

?Our recent unique and patented AccuWeather MinuteCast is a perfect fit for people using smartwatches and other wearables because it?s hyperlocal ? down to street address or GPS location ? and it gives users minute-by-minute precipitation forecasts so users can plan for travel, save time, and avoid getting stuck in traffic delays or dangerous weather conditions.

 

?It?s not just about waiting for the morning news to know the forecast for that day anymore,? he said. ?Our users want to know the weather on a minute-by-minute basis or sometimes well ahead of time, as with our 45-Day Forecast, so they can plan and have the best control of their lives.?