Recent catastrophic weather events such as hurricanes Sandy, Irene and Katrina have proven that, as a matter of necessity, the public’s appetite for detailed weather information is on the rise.
In an effort to meet that need with even more granular detail on the weather, AccuWeather has acquired Sky Motion Research, a move that will allow the company to distribute minute-by-minute weather forecasts to mobile devices.
See also: 20 Gripping Photos of Extreme Weather
Currently, Sky Motion Research offers an app that aggregates radar data and ground observations from the app’s users to come up with updated forecasts every five minutes on the hyperlocal level. Logging information including wind, temperature and precipitation, the system currently covers North America (U.S. and Canada) down to the .5 square mile.
Using proprietary technology, the app can, for example, tell you if there will be rain in a particular neighborhood in New York and at what time, rather than merely offering a general weather predication for the entire city for the next few hours.
According to AccuWeather, the app has logged over a quarter of million downloads, with a 50% active user rate.

The combination of Sky Motion’s technology assets along with AccuWeather’s established weather forecasting pedigree will result in a new app called MinuteCast.
Like the old app, MinuteCast will also rely on user input. “Generally, AccuWeather and users will contribute data points,” Steven R. Smith, AccuWeather’s chief digital officer, told Mashable.
“And going forward we definitely expect this to continue to be a valuable feature, that is, turning users into data points that help to inform and provide the most accurate forecast on a real-time basis.”
Mashable had a chance to meet with AccuWeather and look at some of the early images of the new app (not shown here), and they were impressive. Inspired by the updated look of iOS 7, the app will present the minute-by-minute weather data via an attractive info-graphic-style interface.
The iOS 7 version of the app will be released in December, with an Android version coming in the following months.
Image: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images