Checking the weather with WunderMap for iPad

Weather Underground updated its app for the iPad and Android tablets. I take the iPad app for a spin to show you how the new UI looks and operates, including new map layers.

(Credit: Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET)

Version 2.0 of the WunderMap app for the iPad and Android tablets introduces a slick, new user interface and a number of new map layers. The app is free, though if you pony up for a $1.99 annual fee, you'll remove the small ad that appears at the bottom of the layers menu.

WunderMap uses Weather Underground's network of personal weather stations, which have surpassed the 30,000 mark. There are three different map views -- street, satellite, and hybrid -- on top of which you can add eight different layers, including five new layers: weather stations, hurricane, active fires, fire risk, and webcams. Buttons to select a map view and add different layers are located in the upper-right corner. Or you can tap the button in the upper-left corner to select from 13 different map presets instead of choosing layers manually. Within each layer, there are many options to tweak it to your weather-finding specifications.

(Credit: Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET)

There is also a search bar in the upper-left corner that lets you search via city name or ZIP code. It lists your recent searches and favorites. Tapping the button to the right of the search box repositions the map so your current location is at its center. As you scroll about the maps, the city on which the target in the middle of the screen lands shows up in the Map Center in the top center of the screen. You can also lock in a location to the Map Center by tapping the padlock button. Pull down on the Map Center as you would in iOS's Notification Center to view current conditions and a 10-day forecast.

(Credit: Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET)

At the bottom of the screen is a play/pause button to put radar and satellite maps in motion, though it doesn't project its weather animations in the future, a feature I use frequently with the Weather Channel's iPad app.

What's your go-to tablet weather app? Please share in the comments below.