onX Hunt Weather Update: Plan, Visualize, and Get the Advantage

Forecast your hunt. onX has updated its Weather feature to highlight the weather that matters most with a new design made by hunters, for hunters.

Every hunter knows that the weather is as much a factor in planning a hunt as it is on the day of the hunt. That is why the onX team has completely reimagined the Weather feature in the onX Hunt App on iOS and Android to condense the most important weather elements and deliver them to you by simply touching the map. This makes onX Hunt the single source of weather information a hunter needs. Check out all the updates below for our Weather feature and how it will improve your days in the field.

Visualize Weather at Your Hunting Spot

onX now brings the weather details you most want as a hunter to the forefront of the Hunt App so you can easily visualize the weather exactly where you plan to be. No more toggling between another weather app or ad-filled weather website and onX. No more getting weather updates by searching a zipcode or the nearest town to your remote hunting spot. Simply touch the map where you want a weather forecast, and the information will be pulled from the nearest weather station to that exact location. 

These forecasts include wind, precipitation, high/low temperatures, barometric pressure, sunrise/sunset, and cloud cover information in a single panel. A long-range forecast allows hunters to see trends, select the right gear, and take advantage of optimal weather patterns.

Accurate, Up-to-Date Weather Information

Across the board you will see updated layouts and detailed information for current weather conditions, weekly forecasts, and hour-by-hour changes. From looking ahead eight days or looking back at previous forecasts (coming soon), the Weather feature in onX is now the single tool you need for hunting in any weather conditions.  

Pulling from over 100,000 weather stations, onX automatically looks for any weather updates every 15 minutes to deliver the most up-to-date weather report available. 

Current Conditions

When you need a complete picture of what’s going on around you during a hunt, or what’s happening in an area you plan to hunt, onX can show the following current weather conditions: 

• Temperature
• Wind Speed and Direction 
• General Weather (including rain, sun, and cloud cover)
• Precipitation (in inches)
• Barometric Pressure
• Highs/Lows for the Day 
• Sunrise/Sunset for the Day

Weekly Forecasts

Whether you’re planning your upcoming weekend hunt or for a weeklong trip in the backcountry, you can now look ahead at weather predictions in places you know you’ll be. Weekly forecasts feature:

• Forecast for Eight Days
• Each Day’s Temperature Highs/Lows
• General Weather Forecast (rain, sun, or cloud cover)

Hour-by-Hour Changes

Avid hunters are known to (obsessively, perhaps) refresh weather information, checking trends and forecasts to take advantage of optimal weather conditions. But we know the weather can turn on a dime. That’s why our hourly forecasts help hunters track what’s most important to them, especially when it comes to wind and rain. You’ll see hourly predictions for:

• Precipitation – see the percentage of chance of rain and the total inches of rain predicted 
• Historical weather conditions for the previous 24 hours
• Wind speed and direction
• Barometric pressure
• General weather (including rain, sun, and cloud cover)

Use Weather to Your Advantage

Hunting is about the most outdoor activity one could have, and hunters know that weather plays a critical role in planning for, setting up, and executing a successful hunt. Now, with updates to hourly wind forecasts, hunters have a better edge to do more in the field. 

Master the Wind

If hunters had a 90s-era, hip-hop style mantra, it could be “Wind Rules Everything Around Me.” Just ask every hunter you know if they’ve been busted on a hunt because a deer, elk, fill-in-the-blank winded them and ran off. Ask waterfowl hunters how wind impacts what side of field or water to set up on or how they deploy decoys. Ask the upland bird hunter how he or she uses wind for scenting conditions for their dogs.

With onX Hunt’s ability to show current wind speed and direction you’ll be able to adjust your hunt-day tactics to play the wind to your advantage. But it doesn’t stop there. Since the Weather update extends to include hourly forecasts, in any location and for eight days out, you’ll be able to plan for wind speed and direction before you even get in the field. 

Having this level of knowledge of the wind could help you decide where to put up your tree stand for the season, or how to approach your saved Waypoint, or when to call it and move to a new location because the wind is expected to shift in an hour. 

Barometric Pressure

Why does barometric pressure matter when you’re hunting? According to Outdoor Life, deer like pressure above 30.00 in. In fact, that study found that your chances of seeing a buck increases when the pressure is between 30.00 – 30.40 in., to the point that a hunter will likely see one buck per every doe that’s spotted. But when it drops below 30.00 in., chances of seeing a buck also drops – to one in three. 

Hunters also found that rising barometric pressure right before the rut is a great sign for more activity. Hunters who can see and forecast pressure will have a clear advantage, and that’s why our team integrated that data into the Weather feature experience. 

Play the Rain Game

We’ve all been there, sitting in a downpour and wondering how long it will last. Now you’ll have frequent updates to rain conditions coming from the weather station nearest you as well as historical weather conditions for the previous 24 hours, so you’ll be able to make an informed decision about staying put, pulling out, or looking for shelter. 

Rain tends to affect hunters more than it does deer. Deer are social and they need to eat. While a heavy downpour can shut down deer movement completely, if the heavy downpour turns to a drizzle, deer will move again. Having an hour-by-hour look at how much rain is forecast will give you the edge for when to sit or when “to get.” 

Weather Designed by Hunters, for Hunters

onX has always been built on bringing the information a hunter needs to the forefront. That’s why we designed this Weather feature update to seamlessly integrate with the content-rich map views and Layers you’ve always had in the Hunt App. Now we’ve made it possible for you to never leave the Hunt App to see a weather forecast. 

Larger and more intuitive visuals make it easy for hunters to identify upcoming weather patterns and make in-the-moment decisions based on key data points and trends. Precipitation and barometric pressure are displayed in easy-to-understand bar charts, illustrating upcoming storm fronts and other important trends at-a-glance. And, you’re now one finger-point away from current wind speeds and direction.

What more could you ask for out of your trusted onX Hunt App?

What’s on the Horizon

The update to the Weather feature is currently being rolled out to users throughout November, so make sure you keep your App updated to the latest version. 

But we haven’t stopped innovating. Our team is currently working on these additional features that will take Weather another step above the rest:

• Moon phases, including moonrise/moonset
• Detailed view of daily weather information, including daily averages for temperature and wind

Header image by Captured Creative.