7 Best Weather Apps for Pilots to Outsmart the Storms

Female pilot using weather apps and flight tools on a tablet in a study space.
The best weather apps for pilots offer real-time radar, METAR/TAF decoding, NOTAM alerts, and route-based weather planning—all essential for safer preflight and enroute decisions.

This guide breaks down seven of the most trusted and pilot-approved weather apps used in general aviation and flight training. You'll get specific use-case comparisons, detailed app features, and practical reasons to integrate these into your planning routine.

1. ForeFlight – The Industry Gold Standard

ForeFlight is the most comprehensive weather and EFB app used by both student pilots and professionals. It offers a full suite of aviation weather products, real-time radar, icing forecasts, TFRs, and FAA-certified briefings.

You can overlay radar on your planned route and review SIGMETs, METARs, TAFs, and PIREPs at the tap of a finger. For IFR training, the icing and turbulence layers, combined with ADS-B weather via Sentry, make this app indispensable. ForeFlight’s intuitive interface and integration with Jeppesen charts further solidify its position at the top.

2. Garmin Pilot – Best for Garmin Cockpit Users

If you already fly with Garmin avionics, Garmin Pilot offers a seamless transition between cockpit panel and mobile device. Its weather suite includes Nexrad, METAR/TAF, Graphical AIRMETs, and Winds Aloft forecasts.

The unique “radial menu” allows quick access to weather layers along your route. Pilots can download data for offline use, enabling weather reviews even at remote airfields. You also get access to flight profile views that display terrain, weather hazards, and TFRs in one glance.

3. MyRadar – Fast and Clean Radar Overlay

MyRadar is a lightweight, radar-focused app that pilots use for instant preflight checks. Its animated radar is ultra-responsive and integrates aviation layers like AIRMETs, TFRs, and SIGMETs without clutter.

You’ll benefit most from MyRadar’s speed and simplicity. It’s ideal for VFR pilots and instructors who want to make quick weather calls without logging into more complex apps. Wind arrows, forecast models, and precipitation outlooks are displayed with minimal taps.

4. AeroWeather Pro – METARs and TAFs Simplified

AeroWeather Pro specializes in METAR and TAF decoding, making it perfect for student pilots or those preparing for checkrides. You can sort weather stations by proximity, ICAO code, or custom filters like crosswind component and ceiling.

Its color-coded visual display offers at-a-glance insights into weather conditions. The app also features widgets for quick airport updates on your home screen, keeping essential visibility, ceiling, and wind info front and center. It’s available on iOS and Android.

5. Windy – Visual Weather Modeling at Its Best

Windy excels at presenting global weather models (ECMWF, GFS) with precision. You can visualize pressure, wind, turbulence, cloud layers, and rainfall in 3D or cross-section format. This is especially useful when flying cross-country in unfamiliar terrain.

It’s a favorite among glider pilots and bush aviators. Windy also integrates live airport conditions, webcams, and even forecast soundings—valuable for understanding convective activity or inversion layers.

6. WeatherSpork – Cross-Country Flight Planning for GA Pilots

WeatherSpork was designed with general aviation pilots in mind. Its “Plan View” and “Spaghetti Map” help you assess weather viability hour-by-hour along your entire route. The app focuses on go/no-go decisions.

The tool breaks down VFR/IFR outlooks in simple green/yellow/red formats. Pilots love its unique use of predictive weather models tailored for flight, not ground travel. WeatherSpork is best used as a supplemental planning aid before final briefings.

7. Avia Weather – Quick, Offline METAR Access

Avia Weather is a no-frills METAR/TAF reader for when you need quick, text-based updates without graphic layers. It excels in low-bandwidth areas or as a backup when your primary app fails.

You can store favorites, sort airports, and refresh all weather codes with one tap. Its offline mode is especially valued in remote regions or for EFB redundancy. Ideal for instructors, backcountry pilots, or international flyers operating in rural areas.

How These Apps Complement Each Other

Each of these weather apps has a specific strength—some excel at radar, others at decoding or graphical route analysis. The most effective setup often includes:

  • ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot as a primary EFB and weather planner
  • MyRadar or Windy for rapid radar updates
  • AeroWeather Pro or Avia Weather for METAR/TAF decoding
  • WeatherSpork for a predictive go/no-go decision map

By combining two or three of these tools, you’ll reduce uncertainty and optimize decision-making before and during flight.

Best Weather Apps for Pilots

  • ForeFlight: Complete EFB + radar
  • Garmin Pilot: Best for Garmin cockpits
  • MyRadar: Quick radar scans
  • AeroWeather Pro: METAR/TAF decoder
  • Windy: Global models
  • WeatherSpork: Go/no-go planning
  • Avia Weather: Offline METAR access

In Conclusion

To make smarter flying decisions, you need more than just one weather source. Each app in this list provides a specialized function that increases your situational awareness. Integrating multiple apps into your workflow enables better preflight planning, safer in-flight navigation, and faster weather-related decision-making.

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