Dragons Are Part of Chinese Culture for Kids

Dragons play a relatively significant part in the Chinese culture for kids. However, not everyone knows of their importance. For example, Chinese dragons represent good luck. It is also part of the New Year celebrations. However, do you know why they are part of the Chinese New Year?

The dragon taking part in the New Xear celebration dates back to ancient times. Unlike how they are viewed now, these creatures did not breathe fire. Instead, they were caring and wise during ancient Chinese times. In addition, during those times, dragons were the protectors of rivers, rain, precious gems, and metals, which makes this part of Chinese culture for kids' fun and entertaining because they can see just how different each culture views dragons. Kids are also able to see their transformation over the centuries
In Japan, Korea, and China, the dragon is a major symbol within many different paintings. You probably have seen many Asian paintings of the various kinds of dragons, but didn't know of or possibly even notice what sets them apart from each other. However, if you look close enough, you are able to point out the difference between the different creatures from amongst all three countries relatively easily:

• All Chinese dragons have five toes
• All Japanese dragons have four toes
• All Korean dragons have three toes
The Chinese legend of the dragon:
"The farther dragons travel from their home in
China, the more toes they lose! Fortunately,
When wandering dragons return home to China,
All their missing toes grow back. But, as most
Dragons would prefer to keep all their toes, all
The time, few dragons ever wander very far
From home."
One of the 12 animals in the Chinese Zodiac is the dragon. You are very lucky if are born in the year of the dragon. The reason why people are lucky is that these people are tactless, potentially great, and passionate leaders (although they can be arrogant at times as well).
Dragons have been extremely important throughout Chinese history. People of all classes are born with the same dragon-like traits, including emperors. Emperor Huang Di and Emperor Yan Di (brothers) wdre a couple of the Emperors that were born under the sign of the dragon.
You will find dragons as part of the Chinese culture for kids spanning centuries worth of history for kids to learn, especially when you view the dragon's importance to their New Year's celebrations and National day celebrations.

Dragons have been part of the Chinese culture for kids and adults for thousands of years. These magnificent creatures appear in everything, from art work to Chinese zodiac signs and practically everything in between. The SpeakMandarin blog contains a great deal of information regarding the dragon within the Chinese Zodic, so make sure you check it out soon.

Predict the Weather As Well as the Guy on TV

The weather resources on the Internet are many and varied. They range from highly sophisticated dedicated sites to national newsfeeds that produce fairly comprehensive weather reports, to regional news organizations that feature weather as part of their online news service. These can be from TV and radio stations or local newspapers. In addition, the major search engines have a weather feature that allows you to consult for forecasts in your local area.
In all cases, however, their weather information is gathered principally from national sources - in almost all cases, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. We're going to review here the principal dedicated weather sites online, and give a quick critique to what the search engines and national news sites provide.
Perhaps the best known dedicated commercial weather site is http://www.weather.com, a spin-off of the cable television network The Weather Channel. This website allows you to punch in your zip code for local weather, or a city/town name for some other location. The site will give you temperature readings, wind chill and precipitation forecasts. It will provide forecasts on an hour-by-hour basis, for the weekend, and will peer into the future with a ten-day forecast on one page. Graphics include satellite photos and Doppler radar representations of storm movements.

Much of this information is gathered from the NOAA's National Weather Service website. Here you will find "official" U.S. weather, marine, fire and aviation forecasts, warnings, climate forecasts and information about meteorology at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/. The NOAA has a massive network of weather stations nationwide, providing readouts for highly localized areas. It's also user friendly, with a wealth of visual information provided by satellites and other graphics tools. There is a vast amount of marine weather data available here as well.
The Weather Underground (www.wunderground.com) is a spin-off of the University of Michigan's weather website. Weather Underground is a commercial site peppered with advertising that presents its forecasts based on zip code, city, or on a clickable U.S. map. It also has international forecasts - click by country - and a comprehensive list of maps on its home page that show national trends for such factors as temperature, wind, visibility, precipitation, snow depth, etc. Register with them and send ten dollars and they'll email you your daily forecast.

The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor's weather lab: http://cirrus.sprl.umich.edu/wxnet/ is among the pioneers of online weather products. Currently, they maintain a quality national weather forecast site - but perhaps their most valuable resource for weather addicts is their list of 300 links to weather related sites.
Intellicast (www.intellicast.com) is an advertiser supported national site that will also email you your daily forecast. Their site offers a clickable map and the usual categories of satellite and long range forecasts. http://Www.weather.org is another of the lesser national websites that is exclusively for weather. Their site has an interesting map of worldwide conditions that is constantly changing as the center of their homepage. Along with the usual localized and national weather feeds, the site offers weathercams, tides and currents, and commentary from the Farmers Almanac.

Other dedicated locations include http://www.AccuWeather.com and http://www.Weatherbug.com. Weatherbug offers downloadable software that provides your local weather forecast and weather report. Yahoo and Google both provide weather forecast features, as do the national news feeds. CNN.com/WEATHER will provide international weather news and five day forecasts by location. USA Today has global forecasts and information on meteorological topics such as global warming at: [http://asp.usatoday.com/weather/weatherfront.aspx].
Finally, Unisys has chosen to showcase its Weather Processor analysis software package by building a website for global weather information at http://weather.unisys.com/. Not something you'd expect just lookinf at their main homepage. Apparently even people who do tech consulting and enterprise servers need to know if it's going to rain.

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The Top Five Home Weather Stations

A weather station can be a very useful tool to have. Whether you have a serious interest in the subject of meteorology or if you are just looking for a way to know how to dress the kids for school it can come in handy. Obviously your needs are going to be different depending on what you are planning to use your station for. Therefore our list of the top 5 on the market includes some that are aimed at the person who is serious about meteorology and others that are aimed at people who are just interested in basic knowledge.
1. Davis Instruments 6250 Vantage Vue Wireless Weather Station

This is easily the best option that you will find that you are going to find anywhere, at least that you can get at reasonable price. The Davis Vantage Vue not only provides you with everything that you would get with other stations like temperature, pressure, humidity, etc but it also provides you with all kinds of additional information like windchill, moon phase, sunrise and sunset. The anemometer updates wind speed every two and half seconds which really is a little excessive but other than that we have no complaints. After years of working as a weather man I can say that this home station is more capable than the professional equipment that we used.

2. Ambient Weather WS-2080 Wireless Home Weather Station
This one may well be the best value for your money that you are going to find anywhere. It is easy to use and very accurate. There are some features that are not there that you would find on some of the more advanced weather stations but given that the Ambient Weather WS-2080 costs a fraction of the price it is really a good option. If you are looking for a good quality weather station that will provide you with all of the basic information that you need at a very reasonable price than this is the one to consider.
3. La Crosse Technology WS-7014CH-IT Wireless Forecast Station
This one really isn't a weather station so to speak it basically just measures temperature and humidity. It is also clearly capable of measuring air pressure but rather than telling you what it is it instead uses it as the basis of a weather forecast. The claim is that it is seventy five percent accurate over a period of 12 to 20 hours. This is not particularly accurate but it is better than guessing I suppose. The appeal of the La Crosse Station is that it is easy to use and clearly designed for people who have a fairly limited need when it comes to weather stations. It is not intended for people who are serious about meteorology.
4. Ambient Weather WS-1171 Wireless Advanced Weather Station with Temperature, Dew Point, Barometer and Humidity
Again this an example of a basic weather station that is aimed for people who just want to know have an idea of what the weather is like and not for the serious weather person. This one collects the basic weather data, temperature, humidity and pressure and displays it in an easy to read format. It also includes a simple forecast that is based almost entirely on pressure changes. However it is very popular because of the ease with which it can be set up and the ease with which you can read the information. It is highly recommended to people who just need basic information.
5. RainWise MK-III-RTI Solar Powered Wireless Pro Weather Station w/ Cherry Base Unit

This is a high end weather station and it is clearly intended for the serious user. Really given that it is priced at more than a thousand dollars it is more likely that it will be used by people who have professional requirement to measure the weather. It has all of the features that you would expect on a top of the line weather station and can record all of the important weather parameters. I do have a bit of concern with the way that it is laid out, the rain gauge, the anemometer and the temperature probe are all located in areas where it looks like they could interfere with each other. In certain weather conditions this may affect accuracy, especially temperature with a black rain gauge being located right next to the temperature probe. Nevertheless we consider it to be one of the better options out there if you need a serious weather station.

To learn how to choose the right home weather station for your needs please visit my site, you can also read more reviews of home weather stations while you are there.

Protect Your Loved Ones With An Inexpensive NOAA Weather Radio

Shortly before sunrise on November 16, 2006 a dangerous F3 tornado approached Riegelwood, a small community in southeastern North Carolina. Most of the residents were still asleep or just beginning their workday. Being that it was mid November, the possibility of a tornado was far from anyone's mind. The town's residents were completely unaware of the deadly danger about to bear down on them.

At 6:29 am, The National Weather Service office in Wilmington, NC issued a tornado warning. Eight minutes later the tornado touched down and ripped through the small town. Within a few seconds, 8 people were dead and 20 more were seriously injured. Among the dead were 4 children under the age of 12.
Severe Weather Can Strike At Any Time
Severe weather like tornadoes, thunderstorms and flash floods can strike at any time and with little warning. Storms like this develop very quickly and their lifespan is relatively short. But during their brief life, severe weather events bring terrible destruction, injury and loss of life. Every year, Americans cope with an average of 10,000 thunderstorms, 2,500 floods, 1,000 tornadoes, and an average of six deadly hurricanes. Approximately 90 percent of all presidentially declared disasters are weather related, causing nearly 500 deaths per year and nearly $14 billion in damage.
While we have no way of controlling the weather, we do have technology that can give us enough time to seek safety.
Weather Warnings by Radio
NOAA Weather Radio is perhaps one of the best kept secrets in the United States. Many are unaware that the National Weather Service operates over 1,000 radio transmitters throughout the country continuously streaming current weather conditions, forecasts, warnings, and other crucial weather information, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
NOAA Weather Radio advises people of severe weather watches and warnings, buying extra time for people to react before dangerous storms hit their area. When you're in the path of something like a tornado, seconds can mean the difference between life and death.
However, a special kind of radio receiver is needed that is capable of receiving the alerts. NOAA Weather Radios are available in electronics stores, sporting goods stores, marine supply stores, and on the Web. They are inexpensive (starting at about $30.00) and programmable for a specific area. NOAA Weather Radios are built to utilize the features of NOAA Weather Radio.
Each advisory, watch, or warning transmitted by NWS is preceded by a special alert signal. When these signals are detected by the receiver, the radio responds by activating a built-in audio or visual alarm. The alarm feature is especially useful for warnings that are issued during the night when most people are asleep. In this case, a weather radio acts much like your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors - waking and giving you precious time to react.

NOAA Weather Radio also broadcasts alerts of non-weather emergencies such as national security, natural, environmental, and public safety (i.e. AMBER Alerts) through the Emergency Alert System making it an "All Hazards" warning system.
SAME Technology
The best Weather Radios use SAME (Specific Area Message Encoding) technology. SAME technology makes use of a series of special digital tones that identifies the type of warning being sent and the specific geographic location the event affects. SAME allows you to filter out distant warning broadcasts and monitor only those messages intended for your local area. For example if you live in a coastal community but not right on the beach, you may not be interested in a Coastal Flood Warning. You can set the receiver to disregard Coastal Flood advisories and alerts.
SAME technology is also the primary trigger for activating the Emergency Alert System used by commercial radio, television and cable TV outlets.
Each county in the U.S. is assigned a 6-digit code by the NWS. This code can be easily programmed into the radio (Detailed instructions for your area is included with the radio.). Once the code is set the radio responds only to alerts issued for the area programmed. If you move, the radio can be reprogrammed for your new location.
Depending on the model you choose, further programming can be done to minimize false alarms or to include neighboring counties in your alert area. This is important for those who live near county borders.
SAME radios are available in both desktop and portable models. Portable radios allow you to take the radio with you wherever you go and they can be reprogrammed to work when you're on vacation or on the road. If you work outside or participate in outdoor activities, a portable unit can alert you to unknown weather dangers wherever you happen to be.
For desktop models, a battery backup feature is important. Having the option to operate independent of commercial power will keep the receiver armed and working even if the power fails.
Models are also available for those who are hearing or site impaired.
Weather Radio has evolved over the years to broadcast non-weather emergency information making the system an "All Hazards" network. Information of events such as chemical spills, earthquakes, and even terrorist attack are broadcast if the need arises.
While we cannot recommend any specific brand of receiver, we do recommend that the radio you consider a model that features the Public Alert Logo. This standard was adopted by the Consumer Electronics Association in conjunction with the National Weather Service. Radios that carry the Public Alert Logo meet specific technical standards and include all the features mentioned here.
We have smoke detectors in our homes that alert us to fire. We have carbon monoxide detectors that alert us to potential deadly gasses from our furnaces/fireplaces/gas heaters. An NOAA Weather Radio should be included in your arsenal of weapons to safeguard against severe and deadly weather events. Early warnings of severe weather can give you just enough time to take cover and keep you and your family from becoming a severe weather victim.
For more information about these lifesaving radio receivers, visit the NOAA Weather Radio Website.

Joe Ebner is a weather enthusiast, SkyWarn spotter, and a member of the American Meteorological Association. Joe maintains the Stark County Weather Center, a local weather information website for Stark County in Northeast Ohio publishing local weather conditions, forecasts, news, and weather-related safety and preparedness information.

10 Great Weather Resources for Boaters

All the safety experts will tell you its always a good practice to check the weather before you go out on your boat. I'm no expert, but I'd have to agree with the premise; you just never know. Checking the weather in advance will at least give you a clue as to whether a late day squall or a heavy fog might be bearing down on you.
I've compiled a list, in no particular order, of some of the best weather tools online or in a smartphone app. Under each tool I've enumerated what can you can expect to find on each weather site. I hope this helps you in selecting one, two or more weather resources that are right for you and if you have some favorites now, perhaps a few more you might want consider.
Accuweather
Here you can get your current, hourly, weekend, extended and monthly forecast for your area. It also provides you with the chances for precipitation over a 24 hour period in blocks of 3 hours each. There are also Maps for:

• U.S.radar feeds with zoom capabilities
• U.S.satellite feeds with zoom capabilities showing cloud cover
• U.S.severe weather reads with zoom capabilities and a legend. It also shows lightening strikes and their frequency.
• news and videos of U.S. national interest
• a hurricane center with a map and the latest tracking information.
• current sea surface temperatures worldwide

Aside: AccuWeather is also a free app download for iPhone, iPad, Blackberry and Android featuring today's local forecast, 15 day local forecast, satellite map, videos and more. This is an excellent weather resource for boaters who have a smartphone.
The Weather Channel
This site features daily and hourly

• U.S. national, regional and local weather forecasts
• Marine forecasts with temperature, wind speed and direction, wave height and direction, sea surface temperature, sea state (calm, choppy, etc), relative humidity, visibility, etc.
• Maps showing U.S. current temperature, current weather, Doppler radar, infrared satellite and severe weather alerts. All maps are interactive and will bring you down to your local weather situation.

Aside: The Weather Channel app is free and available for iPhone, Blackberry and Android smartphones. It has current, hourly, 36 hour and 10 day forecasts, beach forecasts, a satellite weather map of you area, severe weather reports, national, local and "must see video" center. Another great weather app for boaters who have a smartphone.
Wunderground
Just type in a location and you can get current/basic local weather information.
A click on Maps and Radar will give you informational displays and data on:

• U.S.weather fronts
• severe weather alerts and warnings in your area
• NEXRAD animated radar readings for the US, Canada and Australia with information on storm tracks, total precipitation and severe weather
• satellite images of national and local cloud cover
• marine forecasts worldwide, showing water temperatures, wave heights and wind speeds.

Aside: Wunderground has an free app for iPhone called Weather Quickie, but it's not as comprehensive as the website and I wouldn't rely on it for boating forecasts.
NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
This is perhaps to most comprehensive weather site of them all. Here you can get your basic weekly weather forecast by the location you select. Scroll further down the page and you'll find weather maps with Radar and Satellite Images. There's a

• regional radar map showing severe weather and flash flood warnings.
• satellite images map of the continental U.S. (color enhanced)

Further down the page you'll find the National Digital Forecast Database which has weather data displayed in graphic fashion showing:

• an Hourly Weather Graph indicating 24 hours of temperature, wind, wind gusts, sky cover, heat index, potential thunderstorms and precipitation
• a Hazardous Weather Report for the reported area

To the left of the National Digital Forecast Database you'll find two maps, one of Temperature Forecast, the other a Forecast Database Map where you can look up local and regional graphical displays of today's, tonight's and tomorrow's:

• possibility of precipitation
• temperature
• dew point
• wind speed and direction
• wind gusts
• sky cover
• relative humidity
• apparent temperature

Aside: There is an app for iPhone from NOAA called Weather Alert USA that has received favorable ratings. As of this writing it costs $3.99.
Marine Weather - NOAA
This site features zone forecasts of the:

• North Atlantic
• North and Southeast Pacific
• Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean and Tropical Atlantic
• Alaska and North Pacific
• Central Pacific

Within each zone you can view daily

• wind, wave and surface charts,
• typhoon, high wind and wave charts using satellite technology
• upper air charts

National Hurricane = NOAA Center
If you're tracking hurricanes, you'll find a lot of information on this site:

• a map showing active tropical storms, tracking information and analysis
• hurricane awareness and information about hurricanes in general with a briefing on such topics as preparedness, storm surges, FAQs about hurricanes and tropical weather and forecast models

Passage Weather
This site provides 7 day wind and weather forecasts useful to offshore mariners. The forecast charts are for every zone of the world and feature maps illustrating:

• surface winds 10 miles above sea level
• surface pressure
• visibility
• cloud cover
• precipitation
• wave height and direction

Other Smartphone Weather Apps to Consider:
Weather Bug for iPhone, Blackberry and Android. It's free and shows

• current conditions of temperature, wind speed and direction, wind gusts, high and low temperatures for the day, wind chill, humidity, dew point and alerts
• the weekly forecast
• an infrared satellite map of the conditions in your area
• videos on the national weather outlook

Aside: This is the most popular of the weather apps and the most versatile for the smartphone. And, you can't beat the cost.
WeatherRadar for iPhone. Provides immediate base reflectivity radar, global weather radar and cloud cover over a choice of a streets only map, streets and satellites map or satellite only map. It shows radar only, no other weather information is available with this app, but it show real-time radar which is a big plus. Cost for the app is $2.99 as of this writing.
Boat Load for iPhone. Get real-time weather forecast in any of 42,000 U.S. cities with hourly, 36 hour, 7 day forecasts for any area you chose. It also has information a boater might be interested in such the location of marinas, port and supplies. Tidal information is also available as well as is the ability to file a float plan or send an emergency alert. Cost of the download is $4.99. as of this writing.
So there you have 10 reliable resources for coastal and marine weather. I think they're some of the best you'll find save weather on GPS which can cost upwards of $500 for a unit with radar and over $20/mo for the service. These 10 sites are free as are the weather apps for Accuweather, The Weather Channel, Weather Quickie and Weather Bug. If it works on your smartphone it can work for you; it's certainly worth the time of a simple download. A check of any one of these weather resources might keep you and your passengers safe and save you from encountering some predictable, forecasted nasty weather which most assuredly would ruin an otherwise perfect day on the water.

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Weather Instruments That You Can Use to Forecast the Weather

Most of us get our weather information from the evening TV weather news. Another good portion of the population actually watches and enjoys the Weather Channel.
Then there are those of us who would rather put it all together while making our own observations and forecasts using our own weather equipment and instruments. This portion of the population is known as "weather bugs, weather nuts, weather aficionados, weather hounds," and a variety of other names. The point is, these people enjoy and are sometimes obsessed by watching weather instruments and attempting to predict weather changes.
Like enthusiastic sports fans, these weather bugs can usually tell you just about everything there is to know about weather. They read about it, they watch it on TV and they go to all the online forums and weather chat lines. Many of them go to yearly or even monthly weather hound conventions. One thing is certain: every one of them will have his or her own weather station. Most of these will be wireless, digital home weather stations and they'll have sensors placed all over their own property and often throughout the entire neighborhood.
Though they don't have the high sophistication that NOAA and NASA enjoy, because these agencies are funded by the government, they do have preferences and specific models of weather instruments that they acquire as often as they can afford it. Some amateur weather forecasters have an array of tools and instruments that TV meteorologists would envy. It's all part of the fascination with weather and its various patterns and intricacies.
No self respecting weather buff would be caught dead without at least two of the following tools: anemometers, thermometers (indoor and outdoor), rain gauges, barometers, atomic clocks, weather maps of all kinds, including NASA and NOAA weather maps and even travel weather maps, hygrometers, psychrometers and any other weather instrument that they can get their hands on.
While most of these tools are found as separate components, each of them is represented in the home weather stations that are offered for sale. Depending on a person's budget, some of the weather stations are more sophisticated than others. Some specific brand names and models are preferred by some weather enthusiasts more than others, such as the WLS-8000 Weather Station. This rather pricey model features industrial grade high-resolution/highly accurate sensors, a large digital display, and 128K non-volatile memory with an integral clock. This system is fully addressable by PC via the RS-232 and it logs 4000 data points to memory. Up to the second real-time data transfer to a Windows based PC with included Weather View 32 professional software. 12 hour uninterruptable power supply is standard. This model goes for around $3750 which is comparatively cheap when you consider what the National Weather Service pays for their equipment.

However, there are wireless weather stations available that are not nearly as expensive and have much the same instrumentation as the WLS-8000. One such item is the Honeywell TE653ELW Desktop Weather Forecaster. This station includes many popular components and the readout screen can be placed on a desktop or even hung on a wall and viewed very easily anytime the consumer desires. This product is more than just a Weather Forecaster. It's a Wireless Indoor Outdoor Thermometer and Hygrometer, a Barometer, and an Atomic Clock with Dual Alarms, Calendar, and Moon Phase. The price is $79 online. This is quite a difference. To some, this is enough. To others, it's just the beginning of a good home weather station.

There are also portable, hand-held weather stations that one can put in the care and carry along with them to any location. It is usually no larger than an indoor telephone and gives the user a plethora of weather information. The Kestrel 4000NV Weather Tracker is the next generation of weather monitoring. You can now measure EVERY major environmental condition, easily and accurately, right in the palm of your hand. Barometric Pressure, Altitude, Density Altitude, Temperature, Humidity, Wind Speed, Wind Chill, Dew Point, Wet Bulb, and Heat Index are all found in one pocket sized instrument. The cost? About $250.
These are exciting times for weather enthusiasts and the tools needed to forecast and observe the weather are very much available and at a cost that to most is easily affordable, to most folks. Nowadays, there's no reason not to have your own wireless weather station right in your own home. It may not be long until you're considered a "weather nut."

Gary Vaughn writes about Weather Forecasting Instruments and Personal Home Weather Stations at http://www.weatherinstrumentsinfo.com For more information, please visit our website.

Ten Great Free Android Weather Apps

There are hundreds of great free Android weather apps that more than make up for the lack of paid weather apps in the Android market. The fact that there are more free Android weather apps is a great thing for those of us who like to thoroughly inspect an app before choosing to make it part of our permanent collection. This list is quite a diverse one with many different specialties. Here are ten of the best free Android weather apps around.
Weather
This aptly named free Android weather app, developed by Michael Bachman, is one I would recommend to those who just want a plain and simple, easy-to-use app. It's fast and very reliable; this is an app to try if all you want is a simple forecast and not many other bells and whistles.
iMap Weather
This app provides radar images and forecasts. It can also give you detailed current weather conditions (for local and international locations). If you choose to check out this weather app, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the great visuals!
Moon Phase
A very simple free Android weather app developed by Udell Enterprises, Inc, it obviously shows you the particular phase of the moon for the given data. Although this app lacks some additional add-ons to make it truly spectacular, it does exactly what it promises quite efficiently.
Snowstorm weather widget
This is another very specific free Android weather app. Snowstorm gives you forecasts regarding snowstorms and beyond. If you're like me and you live in snow country, this is definitely an app I would suggest for when you're out and about during the snow season.
Radar Now!
If you want an app that will visually display the current weather through radar, Radar Now! Is your best free Android app option. Simple and fast, Radar Now! gives you what you need without any hassle.
AccuWeather.com
This is a GPS-based weather update app and is great for getting worldwide forecasts. As you might have guessed, this app was developed by the same people behind Accuweather.com, so you'll be sure the information you get is accurate and reliable and that this app will only get better!
Weather Widget - Free
Although there is a paid version of this free Android weather app, this one remains to be quite adequate in giving quick and reliable weather updates. This is one of the weather apps that will do just about anything for you. Trust me, this app would be a great addition to your Android phone. To enhance this app, get the Weather Widget Forecast Addon, another free app that does just what it says. If you try the Weather Widget and like it, download the free Forecast Addon and you'll have a winning combination!
WeatherBug
Another great free Android weather app that offers local weather updates as well as just about anything else you'd want to know about general weather. The updates are accurate and the add-ons (including maps and videos) are amazing. This is one of the very few free Android apps that are up there in a league of their own.
The Weather Channel
Easily the best free Android weather app available in the Android Market; it's also the most popular Android app in the weather category. The official Weather Channel app provides weather updates straight from one of the most respected weather sources. You can set a default location to get regular updates without doing anything else. The last thing I'll say about this app: you should download this app for your Android phone.

I own the Android Apps Finder site where you can find every Android app.

The main goal of the site is to provide everyone an easy way to read about all of the Android apps. Go straight to the Android News and Weather Apps section where you'll find all the paid and free Android Weather Apps!

5 Best Android Tablet Weather Apps

It is vital for every person to keep in touch with the latest weather news. It is quite helpful when you are able to check the recent weather forecast with your Android tablet, what with the success of the Android platform in making the lives of people a lot easier. Receiving weather updates will give you a good idea on what to expect in the coming days, so you are able to prepare how to get to work and what to wear. There are actually many weather apps available in the Android market that you can download, but if you want to have the best weather apps, you might as well check these out:
1. Beautiful Widgets
Simply amazing, simply beautiful! This is what best describes Beautiful Widgets. The user interface of this Android app is quite attractive, that is why it is considered as the top weather app for Android. It has two beautiful widgets, two skinned clocks and a general weather widget that includes an accurate forecast. All details are coupled with cool weather animations such as a sunny, rainy or stormy background. With its amazing features and functionality, you can toggle widgets for Waif and Bluetooth. It also has over 140 weather skins that you can download. The cost of Beautiful Widgets for Android is$2.87 only-not a bad price at all.
2. SPB Shell 3D
If you want to check the weather forecast in 3D style, the SPB Shell 3D app will show you fantastic 3D graphics on your screen. Considered as the next generation user interface, SPB Shell has eight home screens which are comprised of pre-configured panels such as clock, calendar, time and weather. What's great about SPB is that it shows a customizable screen that allows you to spin the panels like a carousel. At the bottom, there is a dock for your applications. The cost of SPB is $14.95-a bit expensive compared with other Android apps, but you will have an awesome 3D experience with this useful program.
3. Go Weather
One of the Android apps that can provide you accurate information on the weather from any place at anytime is Go Weather. It is able to access to a great number of weather stations across the US and around the world. It also features a 7-day weather forecast with cool weather animations for the day, weather tracking in several locations, notifications for weather temperature and alerts, weather and clock skin widgets, and exceptional performance to check battery life which can disable weather updates at the moment battery level is low. Go Weather is a free app for Android.
4. Animated Weather Widget & Clock

Animated Weather Widget & Clock provides you with wonderfully animated backgrounds and weather effects. You can customize the background scenes according to your preferences. When swiping the screen, it will show you daytime, nighttime and temperature levels of the day. To check relevant weather information, just tap the screen and it will show you detailed information of the weather forecast on each particular day of the week. It will also show you cool effects of rain, lightning, clouds and snow. It also features weather forecast on more than 50,000 locations worldwide and GPS location. The Animated Weather Widget & clock costs $4.95.
5. Fancy Widget Pro

One of the best Android apps for weather forecasting is the Fancy Widget Pro app. It has 4 widgets: fancy clock, fancy weather, fancy home and fancy home small. It is a user-friendly Android app that allows you to personalize your clock, date, time and weather forecast with many options to choose for your home screen. To launch Fancy Weather Pro, simply tap on weather settings, and then tap weather provider. You can also change the temperature format in Celsius or Fahrenheit readings. There are also a number of weather skins available. Fancy Widget Pro only costs $1.99 in the Android Market.

This article was written by Danny Ashton, who when not writing about the android tablet is found hiking in the Scottish highlands.