The BOM Weather app FAQ

Operating systems

The BOM Weather app is compatible with most smartphones and tablets using:

Apple iOS 12 and above
Android 6 and above.

For a Windows phone, we recommend using weather.bom.gov.au.

Technical issues and app crashes

Ensure you have the most recent version of the BOM Weather app. Many technical issues are resolved by updating to the most recent release.

To check if there is an update available:

on Android devices, navigate to 'My apps & games'
on iOS devices, navigate to your app store.

Widget

We offer a widget for Android. You can set multiple widgets to your homescreen. For example, one that moves with your location, and another for a set location.

For iOS, we are working to deliver a widget.

Choose a location

The app needs a location to offer you weather.

If you don't allow location services you need to search for a location using a place name or postcode.

On Android 11, to ensure the widget can update as you move, you'll need to allow location permissions.

Location not found

If your location is not found when you use search, let us know using the feedback form within the app.

Why some locations have more details

The weather observations displayed for your location are taken from the nearest or most appropriate automatic weather station based on distance and elevation. We do not use data from any portable weather stations in the app.

The app shows observations from only one weather station. It will not show observations when:

your location is more than 100 km from a weather station
the data is not collected at the selected weather station. For example, some weather stations do not collect wind, rain or humidity (also used to generate the 'feels like' temperature) observations.

Short forecast text (found below the weather icon) also depends on the location. This text is available for 650 locations, including major regional and metropolitan centres.

We issue 7-day long text forecasts for major towns and cities. For other towns and districts, we issue:

long text forecasts for 4 days
daily summary forecasts – maximum and minimum temperature, chance of rain and a weather icon – for the rest of the week.

Are the observations for my location correct?

Our network of about 700 automatic weather stations provides near real-time observations. Weather station information for your location is at the bottom of the page in the app.

Sometimes your experience – or backyard or community weather station – may not match with what's being reported at the weather station. Some weather phenomena can be very localised. For example, rain often falls in a patchy pattern, so some locations get much more rain than places nearby. Wind speed and direction, and temperature, can also be influenced by local topographic features and elevation.

When using the BOM Weather app, the observations shown are from a single weather station. The station:

is chosen based on a combination of distance, and the range of weather elements measured at the station
may not be in the same area as the forecast
may be up to 100 km from your location.

The location of the weather station does not affect the forecast for your location.

Changing the weather station for your location

The app selects the weather station that is closest to your location. You may want to change the location you're viewing to more closely match the conditions that affect your location – for example, elevation or wind.

Observations made at weather stations and reported in the app may not accurately reflect the weather you experience at a few locations. This can be due to local landscape features – for example, if your location is at a different elevation to the closest weather station.

Warnings

Warnings for your location appear at the top of the screen. Tap on the warning to read the details. Warnings in the app and bom.gov.au are the same, issued and updated simultaneously.

Warning notifications

You can get notifications for up to 3 locations. The notifications are available for 7 weather warnings:

heatwave
tropical cyclone
fire weather
flood
tsunami
severe weather
severe thunderstorm

Once installed and enabled, a notification appears on your device screen when we issue a warning for your selected locations.

To get notifications:

go to Settings in the main menu at the top right of the app
select Notifications
tap or click Select a location, then search for the location - a pop-up at the bottom of the screen shows the app has saved your selection
use Add location to get notifications for up to 3 locations.

Choose warnings to receive for each of your locations:

go to Settings in the main menu at the top right of the app
select Notifications
select the location
switch warnings on or off - a pop-up at the bottom of the screen shows the app has saved your selection.

Change wind units to knots or km/h

Where the wind value has a dotted line underneath it in the app, you can tap on it to toggle the unit of speed between km/h and knots. This setting will be retained between app sessions so that next time you open the app the value will use your previous unit of measure.

Different weather information between the app, website, and devices

The BOM Weather app and bom.gov.au use the same weather information. This can be delivered by different pathways, so you may not see the same information at the same time on the app and website. All information is refreshed when you wake or open the app. On our websites, refresh the webpage to check you are viewing the latest weather information.

It's also possible for phones or other devices to show different forecast information on the app, even though they are near each other. This can happen for several reasons, including:

data services – quality of internet connection can affect how quickly updates are delivered to each device
settings – you may have different settings on each device, affecting how your location is detected
location – forecasts are based on 6 km grids. It's possible for devices to show the same location but read from different grids within that area.

See Why some locations have more details on this page.

How the BOM Weather app differs to other weather apps

When you use the BOM Weather app, you're getting information from Australia's official weather agency.

You can be sure the information is reliable and current – whether you're using our website or the app.

We report on the accuracy of our forecasts and warnings every year in our Annual Report. For details see Our Performance: Bureau Forecast Accuracy.

Feedback and accessibility

We encourage our customers to provide feedback that will inform future services. Use the feedback form within the app to provide your comments. We encourage you to tell us what features you need the most, and what you think about the app. If you're having difficulty accessing the app, use our feedback form on this website.

Download the BOM Weather app

The BOM Weather app is free to download. For iPhone and iPad, visit the App Store. For Android, visit the Google Play store.

Frequently asked questions

To get notifications:

Choose warnings to receive for each of your locations: