Though Wunderground was one of the first weather information services on the Internet (or at least evolved out of it), it's so much more than that. Read on to see what sets Wunderground apart from its rival Internet weather services.
Accessible and affordable weather for everyone
Wunderground states that their goal is to provide accurate weather information that is accessible to everyone on the planet. In line with this goal, almost all of Wunderground's services are supported by advertising revenue and cost you no money to use.
There is a paid annual membership option, but it is very inexpensive (around $10/year) and only gives you a few extra benefits, like having a longer range on animated radar forecasts (up to 40 frames, or spanning 4 hours), allowing you to browse Wunderground without seeing advertisements, and getting personal weather alerts whenever you want them via e-mail… also without advertising.
Pretty much everything else on Wunderground — viewing weather forecasts and maps, viewing current weather alerts, viewing weather pictures and videos in the community, reading online weather journals (blogs), viewing conditions for activities like skiing or surfing, or planning a trip with weather in mind — won't cost you a dime.
Driven by the community
One of the big reasons that Wunderground has stayed a trusted name in Internet weather since its creation in 1993 is the community of dedicated weather enthusiasts it has built around itself.
In the U.S. alone, in addition to sourcing weather reports from major airports, weather balloons, and the National Weather Service, Wunderground also gets its information from a network of over 35,000 personal weather stations. These are registered weather measurement points set up by private individuals and businesses which allow Wunderground to cross-reference its weather data between over 50,000 different weather measurement points, making it much more accurate than its competitors, who only use an average of about 12,000 measurement points. A similar network of personal weather stations worldwide allows Wunderground to collect weather data from over 30,000 different points in countries near and far.
But running personal weather stations isn't the only way that Wunderground's users can contribute to it. Some people help out by submitting photos and videos of what the weather is like in their area and how it's affecting traffic, leisure activities, and more. Others write online journals (blogs) about the weather in their area and discuss stories and other observations about weather, both local and global.
Supported by the experts
With its roots in the University of Ann Arbor in Michigan, U.S.A., Wunderground has its content backed by meteorologists of every stripe. From storm chasers to climate scientists to university and college professors who are teaching the next generation of weather pros, they'll tell you what's happening in the wider world of weather and what it means. Dr. Jeff Masters, one of the founders of Wunderground, maintains an active online journal (blog) on the website, as do the likes of Dr. Richard Rood, Dr. Marshall Shepherd, and hurricane specialist Bryan Norcross.
