Historical Weather App: Any Past Date

Time Machine, in short

Date range: Time Machine in Forecast Bar covers January 1, 1979 through about 18 months from today.
Past dates: A past date shows the high, low, conditions, morning-to-night temperatures, sunrise and sunset, and the days around it.
What past weather is: Past weather in Time Machine is a model-derived estimate for the place you chose, not an official station record.
Nearby observations: For past days in the U.S., Time Machine adds a nearby station's observed high, low and precipitation with its 1991–2020 normal, and the closest volunteer rain gauge.
Future dates: Future dates show a planning outlook, not a forecast. Inside 14 days the app labels the result a near-term forecast.
Sources: Past dates come from OpenWeather, and from version 11.9 Apple Weather leads for dates since August 2021. Station data comes from NOAA via RCC-ACIS.
Weather Photos: Weather Photos on iPhone and iPad look up the weather at a photo's date and place and put it on the picture, and the image itself stays on your device.
Plan: Time Machine and Weather Photos need Forecast Bar Gold on iPhone and iPad. On Apple TV, Time Machine comes with Gold, and on the Mac it needs Pro.

Time Machine on iPhone showing San Francisco on October 17, 1989, marked 37 years ago, with clear sky, a high of 73°F and a low of 56°F

Looking back

Pick a date and see the sky that day.

Time Machine sits at the foot of the forecast. Pick a date on the month grid, or tap the title for a year grid and jump straight to 1989. You get the high and low, the conditions, how the day warmed and cooled, and the days on either side. In the U.S. you also get what a nearby weather station actually recorded.

Month and year grids back to January 1979, and Today to snap back
Tap a nearby day to keep moving through time
A nearby station's observed high, low and precipitation against its 1991–2020 normal
That station's ranking for the date among its years of data
The closest CoCoRaHS volunteer rain gauge

Looking ahead

A rough read on a date that's months away.

The same screen runs forward, about 18 months from today. Pick a date for a wedding next June and you'll see a planning outlook with the days around it. Use it as a sense of the season. It isn't a forecast for that day, and the app tells you to check again closer to the date.

Within 14 days: a near-term forecast
Up to 60 days: a planning outlook, where details can change
Further out: a long-range planning outlook, not a promise
Trips inside 14 days have their own Upcoming Travel card

The Weather Photo editor on iPhone with a San Francisco waterfront picture, an Editorial panel reading 66°F, and light rain drawn over it

Your photos

Put the weather on a picture you already love.

Choose a photo in Time Machine, or send one from the Photos app, and Forecast Bar uses its original date and location to look up the weather around it. If the photo doesn't carry them, you fill them in. Then place, scale and rotate the result right on the picture, and share it.

Styles from Clean and Editorial to Postcard, Retro, Neon and Wild
Rain, snow and stars across the picture
Save a still, or a three-second motion loop
Your image stays on your device; the weather lookup uses rounded coordinates, the date and the time
iPhone and iPad only

An honest note: an estimate, and an outlook.

Past weather in Time Machine is model-derived. It's an estimate for the spot you picked, not an official station record, and the app says so on every result. If you need a record for an insurance claim or anything like it, ask NOAA or your national weather service.

Station observations are U.S. only and describe a named nearby station, not your exact spot. Station rankings aren't official city, state or national records. And anything past 60 days is a long-range planning outlook, not a promise, so check again closer to the date.

New in Forecast Bar 11.9.

Version 11.9, on its way to the App Store, looks to Apple Weather first for dates since August 2021, with OpenWeather for older dates and as the fallback. Time Machine also picks up your chosen weather icon set.

FAQ

Questions about historical weather

How far back does Forecast Bar's weather history go?

January 1, 1979. Time Machine opens any date from then to about 18 months from today, for the place you choose. A year grid gets you back to the 1980s in a couple of taps.

How do I look up the weather on a past date?

Scroll to the foot of the forecast and open Time Machine, then pick a date. On the Mac it's in the bar at the foot of the forecast and in the app's menu, and it opens in its own window. On Apple TV it's at the end of the main screen, with a date chooser built for the remote.

Is Time Machine an official weather record?

No. Past weather is a model-derived estimate for the place you picked, and the app labels it that way. For past days in the U.S., the nearby observations come from a real station, but they describe that station rather than your exact spot, and its rankings aren't official records.

What are nearby observations?

For past days at a U.S. location, Time Machine shows what a nearby station recorded: the observed high, low and precipitation, each beside its 1991–2020 normal, with rankings for the date among that station's years of data. It also adds the closest CoCoRaHS volunteer rain gauge. Station data comes from NOAA through RCC-ACIS.

Can Forecast Bar show the weather for a date next year?

It can show a planning outlook up to about 18 months ahead, from OpenWeather. That's a rough guide and not a forecast for that day. The app labels anything past 60 days a long-range planning outlook, not a promise, and it can change, so check again closer to the date.

What are Weather Photos?

Pick a photo and Forecast Bar uses its date and location to look up the weather around it, then lets you style that weather onto the picture and share it, as a still or a short motion loop. The image stays on your device. Weather Photos are on iPhone and iPad with Gold.

How much does Forecast Bar cost?

Forecast Bar is free to download, and live weather requires a subscription. On iPhone and iPad, every subscription starts with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers, so you can try everything your plan includes before you're charged. Mac plans do not include a trial. In the US App Store, iPhone and iPad are $11.49 a year for Silver and $19.99 a year for Gold, and Mac is $9.99 a year for Plus or $19.99 a year for Pro. Prices vary by region, so the App Store shows what you will actually pay. Mac and iOS plans are separate; Apple TV is included with Forecast Bar Gold on iOS. See Compare Plans for what each tier includes.

Go back to a day you remember.

Try Time Machine free for 7 days with a new Gold subscription on iPhone or iPad.

Download on theApp Store Download on theMac App Store

Free to download; live weather requires a subscription. On iPhone and iPad, every subscription includes a 7-day free trial for new subscribers; Mac plans do not. Mac and iOS plans are separate; Apple TV is included with Forecast Bar Gold on iOS.

Keep exploring

What was the weather that day?

Time Machine, in short

Pick a date and see the sky that day.

A rough read on a date that's months away.

Put the weather on a picture you already love.

An honest note: an estimate, and an outlook.

New in Forecast Bar 11.9.

Questions about historical weather

Go back to a day you remember.

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