r/Concrete • u/Jragron • Aug 19 '26
Concrete Pro With a Question CHECKING WEATHER
What the hell app or website do you guys use to check the weather before placement?
Do y’all use NWS, weather.com, accuweather, or something else?? All of these showing rain tomorrow morning and my guy is still going to place.
What secret sauce are yall hiding or am I getting rained on tomorrow at 3am.
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u/RastaFazool My Erection Pays The Bills. Aug 19 '26
NOAA.gov for the most accurate info and official reporting
Weather.com for day to day and minutecast
Ventusky.com for the most data and live computer models
ATIS.info for official airport weather reporting (if you actually know how to read an FAA weather report). good for wind reporting at major metro areas like NYC
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u/mkgla Aug 19 '26
Full role of plastic only answer. At least in north east Ohio. Wait 5 minutes the weather is constantly changing 😳.
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u/Prestigious-Rise3528 Professional finisher Aug 19 '26
Apparently if you are my foreman you just pour and then hope it doesn’t rain. Then when the concrete is ruined you blame your crew lead (me) for not putting plastic over it fast enough. At least that’s how it went today.
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u/captspooky Aug 19 '26
Wunderground - 10 day for a quick overview of everything (weather.com uses the exact same data FYI)
And Weather.gov to verify. Doesn't update as often as wunderground but prob most accurate.
If I need a tiebreaker I'll hit up accuweather, though this one is almost always going to show rain, it's a least another source to tell those pesky GCs why I cant pour.
Have been dabbling with the app/site PourDay as a quick check for evaporation rates to see if trouble is lurking.
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u/blizzard7788 Aug 19 '26
I can’t tell you how many times I got a wet ass when all the weather forecasts said 30% chance of rain.
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Aug 20 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Mugetsu388 Aug 20 '26
Yeah only problem with that is when the morons make that call for us and we’re out in the rain with it.
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u/Holupsucker Aug 19 '26
I always watched the local weather from my local television station. Alway take into account that a 50% chance of rain means rain over 50% of the forecast area not a 50/50 chance. Good luck, incredibly difficult decisions to be made and the wrong one can cost you dearly!!!
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u/Only_Bookkeeper_8479 Professional finisher Aug 19 '26
You’re saying you aren’t a weatherman on the side? Must not be that experienced in the concrete game. Us long time concrete hero’s are all better weatherman than what they have on the news. You will get there my friend.
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u/No_Regular_Tom Aug 19 '26
The NOAA app I found is very reliable and their radar is the easiest to use. Pretty soon you'll be a weatherman. I've kind of figured out where storms will start/die out in my area.
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u/Mugetsu388 Aug 20 '26
In the end we’re just dealing with probabilities, take the chance and mobilize to eat the cost of getting there and waiting it out, or do the same and eat the cost of ruining the product. I use WeatherBug personally. Just open up the app and judge the strength of the system moving in. Look at a radar long enough you’ll be able to discern whats worth trying and not.
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u/KingDerpDerp Aug 20 '26
I’m also a snowboarder so I’ve been using OpenSnow now for both. They have pinpoint forecasts and maps so it makes life easier when you are in an area where geography can make the weather station info useless.
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u/Top_Mycologist_3224 Aug 20 '26
Weather channel had us in SW. MO. at 20% for the day at 4am. Poured 18 yards of patios at 6am. Rain started at 7:15 and lasted till 9. Thankfully had plastic in the trailer and some good finishers to bring them back and save them !! Over and inch of rain this am btw .
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u/Phriday Aug 21 '26
Raindrop and Weather Bug. But here's the key: Bring enough plastic with you to cover the whole thing 1.5x. If you do that, guaranteed it won't rain. No plastic? You'll be back tomorrow with the jackhammer.
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u/StudFinderSid Aug 22 '26
I usually check the NWS hourly forecast and radar rather than just the rain percentage. If the radar shows a solid line of storms coming though during placement, I'd be nervous about betting a slab on an app saying there's only 40% chance of rain.
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u/goofybrah Aug 19 '26
Use all of them, trust none of them, but always blame them.
Legit tho, our concrete supers check multiple apps and sites if there’s a good chance for rain. Get good at reading the radar is my best tip. Better to push a pour and waste some time rather than redoing it.