Echo & Alexa Forums

General Category => Echo Technical Support => Topic started by: Dallas on February 21, 2018, 02:17:01 pm

Title: Why can't Alexa read the correct current weather off Accuweather?
Post by: Dallas on February 21, 2018, 02:17:01 pm
I believe I read that Alexa uses Accuweather? If I look at their online site it will state that at this moment in time it is pouring rain outside and it is! Everytime I ask Alexa 'what's the weather' she simply answers that it is currently cloudy and the current temperature. It would be great to get a minutecast - for instance it will rain for the next 120 minutes. At least tell me it is raining (or snowing or if there is a tornado warning) outside so I won't crawl out of bed at 0'dark 30 to find out I'm not walking the dog at that moment. I've found the weather app to be mostly worthless.
Title: Re: Why can't Alexa read the correct current weather off Accuweather?
Post by: jwlv on February 21, 2018, 05:18:41 pm
You can ask Alexa for the weather at a specific time. "What's the weather at 2pm" for example.
Title: Re: Why can't Alexa read the correct current weather off Accuweather?
Post by: renegade600 on February 21, 2018, 06:39:19 pm
alexa does give warnings.  right now it is telling about flood warnings in my area every time I ask for the weather.   there are a lot of weather question that it will answer.   there are a lot that it cannot.  but then even weatherman cannot give the right answer.  like recently when there was half inch of snow on the ground the weatherman was saying all snow in my area was melting before touching the ground.  If a live person cannot get it right then how do you expect alexa.

I guess the best you can do is stick a webcam outside, put an amazon show beside your bed and look at a live feed before getting out of bed to walk the dog.
Title: Re: Why can't Alexa read the correct current weather off Accuweather?
Post by: mike27oct on February 21, 2018, 07:12:05 pm
Asking the weather for a specific later time is a peek into Accuweather's crystal ball,  Wife does this often when she wants to go for a walk during rainy weather.  If it is raining now, maybe an hour later it won't be.  So, if it is raining at 9am, she asks what the weather will be at 10am.
Title: Re: Why can't Alexa read the correct current weather off Accuweather?
Post by: Alpha Bitch on February 21, 2018, 08:55:17 pm
I don't know where Amazon gets it's weather from but my DOT always gives me the current weather correctly for the city I live in.  My street address is in the Alexa browser app.
All my tv local news stations have weather skills. Check your local news stations to see if they have weather skills.
Title: Re: Why can't Alexa read the correct current weather off Accuweather?
Post by: Dallas on February 21, 2018, 09:37:12 pm
Thanks for your replies. First let me state that I'm not looking to Alexa to predict what's in a crystal ball. My point is If I ask what is the weather now and Accuweather says it's currently pouring and Alexa keeps saying it's cloudy there is a disconnect. I've asked for the weather now, a specific time as in the current time etc.. So for some reason for my city it is not working correctly. Accuweather is correct but Alexa is not reading off my city's Accuweather and she does state the correct city when she gives the conditions so I know that is in there correctly.

Also, getting a 'local TV station' does me no good as I live 20 miles from the 'big city' and they only talk about the big city, they don't care about the surrounding towns and it is a totally different ecosystem anyway. Accuweather and Weather Underground at least state the current weather correctly, for some reason that info is not getting to Alexa.

I don't know how to make the issue clearer.
Title: Re: Why can't Alexa read the correct current weather off Accuweather?
Post by: mike27oct on February 21, 2018, 10:00:04 pm
Predicting weather only an hour from now IS in the future, and does require a crystal ball.  Stop splitting hairs; we told you how to find more weather info from Alexa.
Title: Re: Why can't Alexa read the correct current weather off Accuweather?
Post by: Dallas on February 21, 2018, 10:52:13 pm
MikeOct27 - where in my posts did I mention I'm trying to get the weather an hour from now? I simply want to know what is happening at that point in time - not in the future and not in the past.
Title: Re: Why can't Alexa read the correct current weather off Accuweather?
Post by: mike27oct on February 21, 2018, 11:24:30 pm
JWLV gave you a similar answer, and I quote:
You can ask Alexa for the weather at a specific time. "What's the weather at 2pm" for example.

Why don't you ask him same question as you did me?  Both of us are trying to help keep you dry and finding weather report at another time is one way  Sorry if you don't get it and want to be pissy.  Please no more questions or comments to me in this thread..
Title: Re: Why can't Alexa read the correct current weather off Accuweather?
Post by: renegade600 on February 22, 2018, 12:45:06 am
Thanks for your replies. First let me state that I'm not looking to Alexa to predict what's in a crystal ball. My point is If I ask what is the weather now and Accuweather says it's currently pouring and Alexa keeps saying it's cloudy there is a disconnect. I've asked for the weather now, a specific time as in the current time etc.. So for some reason for my city it is not working correctly. Accuweather is correct but Alexa is not reading off my city's Accuweather and she does state the correct city when she gives the conditions so I know that is in there correctly.

Also, getting a 'local TV station' does me no good as I live 20 miles from the 'big city' and they only talk about the big city, they don't care about the surrounding towns and it is a totally different ecosystem anyway. Accuweather and Weather Underground at least state the current weather correctly, for some reason that info is not getting to Alexa.

I don't know how to make the issue clearer.

you made it clear the first time.  you are just not paying attention to what is being said.   not even accuweather, the weather channel or any weather service can tell you exactly what is happening at your home at any given time.   it could be raining one block away and not be raining at your house.  same town, so what is alexa to do????   or do you think you are so important in your town that you think the weather forecast should only be what happens at your home.
Title: Re: Why can't Alexa read the correct current weather off Accuweather?
Post by: Dallas on February 22, 2018, 02:02:29 pm
I found the skill Big Sky which does exactly what I want -  just FYI.