AccuWeather Extends MinuteCast® from 2 to 4 Hours: Most Lengthy & Most Accurate Minute by Minute Forecast Available Anywhere in the World

World's most trusted weather brand announces new ground-breaking features to better cope with winter's snow, ice and extreme cold on AccuWeather app and desktop and mobile web.

World's most trusted weather brand announces new ground-breaking features to better cope with winter's snow, ice and extreme cold on AccuWeather app and desktop and mobile web.

AccuWeather Global Weather Center, December 14, 2020 – AccuWeather today announced it is doubling the length of its widely popular and most accurate AccuWeather MinuteCast® precipitation forecast. By extending the forecast length from two to four hours, AccuWeather is the first and only weather source to offer a minute-by-minute precipitation forecast up to four hours ahead.

In addition to the new 4-hour AccuWeather MinuteCast forecast, AccuWeather is also introducing a broadened array of new features and enhancements for www.accuweather.com and the award-winning AccuWeather mobile app:

• Widgets - convenient and simple, graphical modular elements that allow users to see localized forecasts with a quick glance directly from their home screen;

• AccuWeather RealVue™ Satellite - clear, detailed and beautiful “astronaut’s eye-view” of the Earth;

• Winter Preparation Notifications and Tools - comprehensive collection of forecasts, news and detailed information necessary to navigate winter weather, including specific details for potential snow and ice accumulations, timing and intensity;

• AccuWeather Indoor Humidity -helping users gauge humidity levels indoors, especially helpful in managing the spread of airborne viral illnesses, such as flu and COVID-19 when the air is dry.  

“AccuWeather is pleased to release new and innovative tools that help people better cope with disruption and potential dangers caused by winter weather," said Kurt Fulepp, Global Chief Product Officer for AccuWeather. "Our groundbreaking new 4-Hour AccuWeather MinuteCast and our graphically Illustrated snow and ice accumulation forecasts, for example, will empower our users to more easily navigate the winter months with greater confidence, leaving nothing to chance.”

The new features join a long and growing list of product enhancements and innovations that deliver weather-centric information combined with the statistical Superior Accuracy™ of AccuWeather forecasts and warnings proven in study after study of forecast accuracy in all categories tested, including temperature, precipitation and wind speed.  This latest rollout of features, available for free on AccuWeather digital platforms, including accuweather.com, and the AccuWeather mobile app for Android and iOS, includes:

4-Hour AccuWeather MinuteCast®
The exclusive, minute-by-minute AccuWeather MinuteCast precipitation forecast length has been doubled from two to four hours, revolutionizing the level of precision and detail for optimal planning and pinpointed down to a user's home or office address or any other desired location.

This popular feature, central to the app interface and available on accuweather.com, is testament to AccuWeather’s commitment to provide the most accurate and extremely useful weather forecasts and warnings. With the new 4-hour advanced view, people will be more prepared ahead of any weather situation or extended outdoor activity, such as stadium concerts or sporting events.

AccuWeather Widgets
Long a staple on Android devices, AccuWeather is pleased to introduce widgets for iOS 14 mobile devices as well as Android, AccuWeather’s widgets are designed with users in mind based on their feedback, blending the Superior Accuracy of the AccuWeather forecast with efficiency and a brilliant, state-of-the-art app design, which includes conditional backgrounds mirroring current weather conditions for a highly convenient and accurate weather app experience. Localized, vital weather forecasts and information are captured in a new way, elevated to the display screen and updated every 15 minutes.

Winter Preparation Tools and Notifications There is no question, winter brings joy and delight, but it can also bring hazardous weather and the need for safe planning and better decision-making on the road, at home or work or for activities outdoors.  AccuWeather provides an in-depth, hyperlocal experience for users based on their saved or searched locations.

AccuWeather’s winter preparation tools and notifications are activated and visible as winter weather affects a particular area, conveniently displayed within our navigation on the web, and prominently on AccuWeather's Today screen on Android and iOS mobile devices. The dynamic nature of storms means that this feature appears in advance and during a weather event, alerting users when they need to be prepared.

The critical forecast insights provided to users display, with significant detail, a Snow and Ice Outlook including upcoming precipitation for up to five days and forecasted snow and ice accumulations, timing and intensity, all illustrated graphically. The Snow Probability feature provides information on, for example, the chance for a foot vs. an inch of snow to help keep users safe and prepared for hazardous weather conditions. Other insights include temperature and wind readings for both the current temperature as well as the exclusive and patented AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperature, and original AccuWeather Ready winter preparedness news and content. 

AccuWeather RealVue™
Available on www.accuweather.com and coming soon to Android and iOS devices, the standard-setting, AccuWeather RealVue provides users with a color-enhanced view of the Earth and sky, from a space-level perspective, within the widely used AccuWeather satellite-view feature. Users will now witness, in distinctive high resolution and raw detail, clouds during a hurricane, heavy plumes of smoke from wildfires migrating cross-country, dust storm activity, heavy fog, or the sheer beauty of weather formations from a completely new perspective not available from any other source. 

AccuWeather RealVue displays are based on data and images taken from five weather satellites, using a color-coded scale to highlight cloud heights and areas with precipitation, helping users better visualize the weather in their or any other location alongside daily and hourly forecasts.

AccuWeather Indoor Humidity Index
The Indoor Humidity Index was developed exclusively by AccuWeather expert meteorologists and scientists to estimate the amount of dryness inside a home or building at the current time and to forecast future indoor humidity conditions. Already launched on accuweather.com, it is now also available in the AccuWeather app for both iOS and Android.  Using a proprietary algorithm, the Index is revolutionizing the way people prepare for and adjust to their environment, indicated by 11 distinct descriptions ranging from ‘dangerously dry’ to ‘ideal’ to ‘dangerously humid.’  

Very dry indoor conditions, for example, hasten the spread of viruses, when people’s nasal passages are dry and lack moisture needed to trap viruses, such as flu or COVID-19, before they enter the body. As people increasingly spend more time indoors during the winter months, this index gives users critical information to help them minimize the threats that are exacerbated by exposure to dry air and make appropriate adjustments, such as using a humidifier or opening windows and doors.

The newly designed AccuWeather app, available for iOS and Android users, can be downloaded for free at: http://downloads.accuweather.com/.

About AccuWeather and accuweather.com - AccuWeather, recognized and documented as the most accurate source of weather forecasts and warnings in the world, has saved tens of thousands of lives, prevented hundreds of thousands of injuries and tens of billions of dollars in property damage. With global headquarters in State College, PA and other offices around the world, AccuWeather serves more than 1.5 billion people daily to help them plan their lives and get more out of their day through digital media properties, such as AccuWeather.com and mobile, as well as radio, television, newspapers, and the 24/7 AccuWeather Network channel. Additionally, AccuWeather produces and distributes news, weather content, and video for more than 180,000 third-party websites. Among AccuWeather’s many innovative and award-winning features available free to the public are MinuteCast^® Minute by Minute™ forecasts with Superior Accuracy™. Furthermore, AccuWeather serves more than half of Fortune 500 companies and thousands of businesses globally. Dr. Joel N. Myers, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, established AccuWeather in 1962 and is considered the “father of modern commercial meteorology.” Dr. Myers, a leading creative thinker and visionary, has been named “the most accurate man in weather” by The New York Times and one of the top entrepreneurs in American history by Entrepreneur’s Encyclopedia of Entrepreneurs. 

AccuWeather, RealFeel  and MinuteCast are all registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature, AccuWeatherIQ, Accuweather RealImpact, AccuWeather RI, AccuWeather MinuteCast, AccuWeather Network, Minute by Minute and Superior Accuracy are all trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All other trademarks, product names and logos are the property of their respective owners. 

The AccuWeather app for Android phone and tablet users is free at the Google Play store. The AccuWeather iOS app is free at apps.apple.com. Visit accuweather.com for additional information. 

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