TechSource: Best Weather Applications for Linux

Posted: 15 Jun 2014 05:42 PM PDT

It is hard to keep up with the weather at times. If you are living in a place where the weather is unpredictable, knowing if it is going to rain or not makes a huge difference to you. That's why you need to keep yourself updated about the weather from time to time.

If you are using Ubuntu or other Linux distro, this isn't hard to do. Linux offers a plethora of options for users to keep an eye on the weather. Here is a selection of some of the best weather applications for your Linux desktop.

Weather Extension for GNOME Shell

If you are a GNOME Shell user, this extension lets you check the weather from the title bar. Simply install it and the current temperature will show up at the top. If you click the temperature, it will show up a more detailed weather report.

Ubuntu Weather Indicator

Ubuntu Weather Indicator remains one of the most popular indicator applets out there. Known for its simplicity and ease of use, this application allows you to check your weather from Ubuntu's top bar. The latest version of Ubuntu Weather Indicator is much stable and improved thanks to bugfixes by the developer.

sudo apt-get install indicator-weather

My Weather Indicator

My Weather Indicator is a good alternative to the aforementioned Ubuntu Weather Indicator if you are looking for something more stable. It's simple, easy to use, and has some extra features. Once installed, you'll be able to glance at a detailed weather forecast by clicking on the top bar. One of the best things about My Weather Indicator is that it shows NotifyOSD notifications for any major weather changes. This is a great utility to have if you live in places where the weather is stormy and unpredictable. To install My Weather Indicator on Ubuntu, open the terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and type in or paste the following command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:atareao/atareao
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install my-weather-indicator

Stormcloud

Stormcloud is a beautiful-looking weather application for Ubuntu users. Inspired by elements from the Flat UI trends and a bit of Metro interface, Stormcloud is a gorgeous way to glance over your daily weather. Once installed, the application sites like a nice tile on your desktop letting you quickly take a look at the temperature and the weather. Depending on the weather outside, Stormcloud shows a nice icon on the card along with the temperature in bold fonts. The city's name is written on top while the temperature for the past two and the coming two days is shown at the bottom. The cards that show the weather come in different colors, yet maintain the high-contrast beauty of the application. Despite being one of the best weather apps for Linux, Stormcloud is neither free nor open source. For around 3 bucks, you can get your hands on this app from the Ubuntu Software Center.

However, if you are not someone who likes to invest hard-earned cash on proprietary software, don't fret. There's an open source fork of Stormcloud that you can install on your desktop right away. Titled Typhoon, this application offers pretty much the same functionality and interface as Stormcloud. To install Typhoon on your Ubuntu desktop, open up the terminal and type in the following commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:apandada1/typhoon
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install typhoon

Weather (command-line utility)

If you like doing things old school, then Weather is the perfect application for you. Basically, it's a command-line utility that allows you to check the weather very quickly. Once you install the application on your computer, you can check the weather any time by simply typing in the command "weather" followed by a couple of required parameters. Though mainly geeks would use it, there's no harm in giving it a shot even if you're relatively new to Linux.

Unity Cities Lens

If you are a hardcore Unity user coming from an older version of Ubuntu, simply install the Cities Lens to help you look up the current weather very quickly. Once installed, you'll be able to enter your city's name into the Dash and look up the current forecast.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:scopes-packagers/ppa
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install unity-lens-utilities unity-scope-cities