Weather app Windy becomes most downloaded in Vietnam

The application has been praised for its ability to display the storm’s path and affected areas in an intuitive way.

As of July 22 Windy ranked first in downloads on the Vietnam App Store. On Google Play, it is in the top 10 overall. It is the most used weather app on both platforms.

The spike in downloads came as Wipha started blowing toward Vietnam on July 19, causing heavy rainfall in various provinces. Technology forums, travel groups and social media are flooded with guides on how to track the storm’s eye, its projected path and wind speeds with Windy.

"The app constantly updates, so we can visualize how the storm will affect specific areas and prepare accordingly," Hanoian Phuong Anh said.

Storm Wipha makes landfall in Vietnam. Photo by VnExpress/Le Tan

The free app has a dynamic map interface with real-time data on rainfall, wind, clouds, and pressure. It has been hailed for its accuracy, fast loading speeds, multilingual support, and availability on both mobile devices and web browsers.

On the app or website, users can choose Hurricane Tracker, and the map shows the projected storm path, impact zones, wind speeds, central pressure, and estimated landfall time.

By tapping the storm icon, they can view detailed data at each hour. Radar and satellite images and rainfall maps are also available.

People can also track storms via the Vietnam Disaster Monitoring System at vndms.dmc.gov.vn. This website provides a similar visual display of weather information across Vietnam, along with forecasts of storm trajectories and likely areas to be affected.

Google Maps is another option for smartphone and computer users. It displays a Wipha warning on its main interface now. When the alert is tapped, the app provides details about the current location of the storm, its projected path and areas of strong winds based on data from the Japan Meteorological Agency and related news updates.

The app also recommends visiting the website of Vietnam’s National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting for additional information.