There are many instances when providing current temperatures and weather forecasts on a website can be useful. Restaurants, retreat centers, country clubs, and many other businesses and organizations can benefit from this kind of feature.
There are a few things you’ll want to consider:
- How does the widget design fit within the current website theme?
Many of the following weather WordPress widgets and plugins have design options built in or can be easily modified to fit your website’s design.
- Does the weather WordPress plugin being considered require another service?
Some weather plugins require the World Weather Online API. Before April 2017, they provided free registered API keys. Now they require a premium subscription.
- Where will the weather be displayed?
There are a variety of options and features which weather widgets offer. There are some that can only be placed in a widget area, whereas some provide a shortcode option, allowing you to place the weather widget on any page.
Every website has its own unique needs, so you may need to consider additional things as well. Take a look at these 7 best weather WordPress widgets and plugins, and I’m sure you’ll find something that will meet your need.
1. Astero WordPress Weather Plugin
The Astero WordPress Weather Plugin includes much of what you’ll ever want in a weather WordPress plugin. With its clean lines, multiple sizes and styles, and solid feature set, your weather widget will be looking good, even if the weather isn’t.
Some of the technical features include:
- HTML5 geolocation with IP fallback
- supports 600+ Google Fonts
- fully responsive layout
- local cache
- and more
And the design features include:
- use HTML5 video or YouTube for your background
- or use a static image or flat background
- simple or full-screen modes
- unlimited colors
- and more
As for your weather sources, you can switch between Forecast.io and Openweathermap.org, and users can also leverage the built-in city or zip code search function.
The Astero WordPress Weather Plugin includes excellent features and throws in some impressive design choices, making it a top choice for weather WordPress widgets and plugins.
2. City Weather for WordPress
If you’re looking for a nicely designed weather widget that displays the weather for only a predefined location, you might want to give City Weather for WordPress a try. It includes a few basic options and can easily be configured to match just about any design.
Features included:
- select a custom background color or use an image
- supports Fahrenheit and Celsius units
- select wide or tall widget size
- fully responsive
- and more
City Weather for WordPress doesn’t include many options, but it’s designed well, and it would be perfect for restaurants, country clubs, and other local websites that benefit from users knowing the weather.
3. WeatherSlider Premium WordPress Weather Widget
If you need the weather a little more front and center, then something like the WeatherSlider Premium WordPress Weather Widget is what you want. This weather WordPress widget doesn’t just display the current temperature, it’s a full-featured weather slider.
The design features include:
- CSS3 animations with jQuery fallback
- auto-slideshow and auto-refresh option
- fully responsive from 240×200 to 1300×600
- touch control, keyboard navigation, and supported on all major browsers
- and more
Weather features include:
- 12 or 24 hour time formats and localization ready
- display current weather or three-day forecast
- custom location search bar
- 48 different weather types
- and more
You’ll also find the detailed documentation and layered graphic elements PSD file very helpful.
Display the weather in style with the WeatherSlider Premium WordPress Weather Widget.
4. aWeather Forecast
The aWeather Forecast weather WordPress plugin displays weather conditions like no other. With its cast of animated icons, animated headers, and full color customization, this is easily one of the most charming weather widgets you’ll find.
This widget can display:
- current weather icon and temperature
- current weather conditions
- wind speed and direction
- pressure, humidity, and more
Some features include, but not limited to:
- Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Kelvin unit formats
- 18 animated icons and 4 animated headers
- select from over 700 Google Fonts
- and more
The aWeather Forecast plugin is one of the most uniquely designed weather WordPress widgets.
5. Weather WordPress Shortcode & Widget – Simple Weather Plugin
This weather widget can be placed in both widget spaces and via shortcode. Combining this feature with the Weather WordPress Shortcode & Widget – Simple Weather Plugin’s sleek design makes it one of the more versatile weather WordPress plugins.
Some of the great features you’ll find include:
- unlimited color selection and custom date format
- supports both Fahrenheit and Celsius
- customize weather update intervals
- display day and night temperatures
- location and GPS coordinates
- seven-day forecast option
- and more
It’s easy to see why the Weather WordPress Shortcode & Widget – Simple Weather Plugin is a favorite among weather WordPress plugins.
6. Weather Widget One
The Weather Widget One weather WordPress plugin is so pretty. Its simple design is a joy to view, and its clever UI makes it very useable. This is clearly one of the best weather WordPress plugins available.
Features include, but certainly not limited to:
- displays temp, wind, humidity, and chance of precipitation
- auto detect user location via HTML5 Geolocation
- five-day forecast with 24-hour daily forecast
- multiple location search options
- supports multiple units
- shortcode support
- and more
With its minimal design and full set of features, the Weather Widget One is an easy favorite among weather WordPress widgets.
7. Bonobo – Weather Widget
This weather WordPress widget is super simple and easy to use. The Bonobo – Weather Widget also boasts a sleek metro style that’s minimal and sleek.
Features include:
- supports both Fahrenheit and Celsius
- OpenWeatherMap API
- multi-language
- and more
The included eight color schemes and metro design makes it easy to adapt to your current—or future—WordPress theme.
For a simple, no nonsense weather widget, check out Bonobo – Weather Widget.
BONUS! Weather on Google Maps for WordPress
The Weather on Google Maps for WordPress is not your typical weather WordPress widget, so I consider this to be more of a bonus entry among the other plugins.
Like a TV weather screen, transform Google Maps to an interactive weather map—on your own website.
“Weather on Google Maps is a WordPress plugin, which allows you to easily embed any number of Google Maps with live weather information for any number of cities using simple HTML snippets. You can customize the look and feel of the weather information box via CSS and even choose what data to display.”
Some of the features you’ll find here:
- auto-center of Google Map based cities
- works with Google Maps API v3
- weather forecast for four days
- included weather icons
- and more
Weather on Google Maps for WordPress is a unique and powerful plugin, combining the power of Google Maps with Yahoo Weather.
Conclusion
Providing weather information for an organization’s website can be a super useful feature. It’s easy to overlook, but when someone is looking up more information or getting ready to make a booking online, being able to check the forecast can be very helpful.
If you don’t see exactly what you’re looking for, make sure to check out Envato Tuts+. They have excellent WordPress tutorials, eBooks, and courses. Try WordPress Plugin Development Essentials or maybe the WordPress Hacker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Some other helpful eBooks also include Useful Tricks and Techniques for WordPress and Mastering WordPress.
What kind of website will you be using a weather WordPress widget for?
