Desktop Weather
Desktop weather is software which you download to your computer from a weather service provider, and which gives live, on-screen weather information and forecasts both locally and nationally. You can customize desktop weather software to show weather information for your specific location and for multiple locations, including important information such as weather alerts, watches and warnings. Common information which is displayed in a desktop weather window includes current temperature, wind speed, wind direction, chill factor, humidity, barometric pressure, rainfall, weather maps, forecasts and extended forecasts.
Desktop Weather Software
Once installed, desktop weather software continuously updates with the latest weather information and forecasts. Desktop weather programs typically use minimal bandwith, so internet speed is not noticeably affected by the small packets of data which regularly update the weather information displayed. In normal use, desktop weather software runs in the background and is visible only through a system tray or taskbar icon which conveniently displays the current ambient temperature. Clicking on the icon opens up the weather software window, and all data provided by the software is then either displayed or is simply one more click away.
Weather service providers which offer desktop weather software typically provide a free downloadable version. Free versions can provide more limited information than paid versions, and they normally carry advertising to help fund their development and support. However, even though the information provided in free desktop weather might be more limited, it is often more than sufficient to cater for everyday needs.
Some major providers of desktop weather are:
The Weather Channel®
AccuWeather.com®
Ambient Weather®
The Weather Network
Weather Underground®