Six Winter Weather Apps for Smart Phones

Although it feels more like spring right now, with the temperature bumping up against 50°F, forecasters are in fact predicting a return to something that feels a lot more like winter by the end of the month. If you want to relish the warmth and pretend that spring is here, by all means, tuck this posting away for another day. But if you want to prepare for the inevitable return of the cold, pay attention. This selection of winter weather apps includes something for everyone - whether you are a family watching for that next school closing, an early morning commuter, ski bum, or simply someone who from time to time finds yourself driving in winter weather. All six of these apps are available for iPhone and Android.

Winter Survival Kit for Androids/iPhones (Free). This is a must-have app for anyone who travels in hazardous conditions. If you find yourself stuck or stranded in severe winter weather conditions, this app will help you find your current location, call 911, notify your friends and family, calculate how long you can run your engine to keep warm and stay safe from carbon monoxide poisoning. You can also use the Winter Survival Kit app to store important phone and policy numbers for insurance or roadside assistance. You also can designate emergency contacts you want to alert when you become stranded. If stranded, hit the big red button, and the app will provide survival tips, locate nearby gas stations, and sound an occasional alarm to keep you alert.

Storm Shield for Androids/iPhones ($4.99). Storm Shield is a potentially life-saving weather app for iPhone and Android that acts like a NOAA Emergency Weather Radio. When weather warnings and watches are issued by the National Weather Service for your chosen areas, you will receive critical alerts via voice and push notification. You can choose up to five locations for which to receive warnings, so you can set it to alert you at work, at home, at a relative's home and to track you wherever you go.

Winter Wake-Up for Androids (Free). This app works like an ordinary alarm clock, but wakes you up earlier if there has been freezing weather or snow the night before. That way, you’ll have plenty of time to clear your driveway, defrost your car and still leave for work on time.

Snow Day Calculator ($.99). This app gets weather information for specific zip codes and calculates the chances that schools will be closed for a snow day. You can configure the Snow Day Calculator to text you predictions a day before they go up on the website, telling you the next possible snow day three days in advance. This app receives almost 250,000 hits per snowstorm, and I’m betting a lot of those are kids hoping for a day off!

OnTheSnow (Free). Describing itself as the “ultimate guide before you hit the slopes,” this ski guide provides in-depth ski reports, 5-day weather forecasts, live ski cams, and first hand reports from other skiers. It also helps locate nearby ski areas and highlights new snowfall.

Powder Alert (iPhone, $2.99 or free Lite version) and WakeMeSki (Android, free). This app monitors snow conditions at popular ski resorts. Just plug in how much snow you want and how early you want to wake up, and these apps will deliver a wake-up call for fresh powder.