Revolutionizing Weather Predictions: The Upgraded iOS 27 Forecasting System

Apple Weather may not be the most thrilling application in the iOS 27 lineup, but it is likely one of the most frequently accessed apps by the majority of users on a daily basis. Despite the abundance of alternative weather applications available, Apple’s native version is sufficient for most iPhone users and continues to improve with each passing year.

This week’s launch of iOS 27 is no exception. While it may not feature a complete overhaul like the one seen in iOS 15 five years ago, the iOS 27 update introduces significant quality-of-life enhancements that enhance its utility even further. This could potentially prompt users to reconsider Apple Weather if they had previously switched to a third-party app. Here are the latest additions.

Hourly Wind and Rain Forecasts

Having used iOS 27 since the initial beta release in June, I can confidently say that this is the most impressive new feature to be introduced in Apple’s Weather app in years.

Instead of a single icon indicating whether it will be windy or rainy on a particular day in the 10-day forecast view, iOS 27 Weather now presents a bar chart (for rain) or a line graph (for wind) that breaks down the forecasted conditions by hour. This significant enhancement provides much greater clarity. Previously, a forecast could show a rain cloud icon even on days when it was only rainy overnight with sunshine for the remainder of the day. Now, a quick glance at the forecast reveals blue bars exclusively on the left, indicating that outdoor plans may not need to be canceled after all.

Although this information was previously accessible in more detailed views, the ability to view the entire week at a glance without the need for additional taps is a significant improvement. The same applies to wind forecasts, which now display a line graph illustrating both average wind speeds and gusting ranges.

This data is segmented into three different forecast views, requiring users to switch between Conditions, Precipitation, and Wind by tapping. The Conditions view remains consistent with the classic iOS 26 layout, while the other two are entirely new additions.

Other Enhancements in the iOS 27 Weather App

While the new forecast view takes center stage, Weather has also received two additional enhancements as a result of broader design changes in iOS 27:

1. Landscape Mode. Apple has enabled many more of its first-party apps, including Weather, to switch to a landscape orientation, likely to accommodate the iPhone Duo. This not only optimizes the screen space in Weather but also proves to be a game-changer for users who prefer viewing charts, graphs, and weather maps in landscape mode.
2. An Extra Large Widget. Apple has increased the size of its widgets, allowing users to transform a single Home Screen page into a large forecast display.

Unfortunately, one feature that was present in the early iOS 27 betas but seems to have been scaled back is the Highlights card. This feature provides a quick overview of upcoming weather conditions over the next five days, such as predicted precipitation or temperature fluctuations, but is only available when the device is set to US English.

While the Highlights feature was initially available in multiple English dialects during the beta phase (e.g., US, Canada, UK, etc.), the final iOS 27 release notes specify that “Weather Highlights is currently only available in US English.”

The reason for this change is unclear, but it appears to be related to language rather than region. Since Highlights is powered by AI, it likely follows the same gradual language rollout pattern seen with other Apple Intelligence features.