Project summary
- Built by: our team at AppPresser
- Client: Higgins Storm Chasing, an Australian weather forecasting brand
- Services: Custom mobile app for iOS and Android connected to an existing WordPress site
- Platform: WordPress with the AppPresser framework
- Core idea: Put region specific severe weather data in one fast, uncluttered app
The challenge: generic forecasts are not enough
Severe weather in Australia can build quickly, and people in storm, flood and cyclone zones need more than a single temperature and a cloud icon. Higgins Storm Chasing already had a loyal audience reading its forecasts and watching its videos. The goal was to give that audience a mobile tool that shows the full picture at a glance and helps them act early.
What the app does
A home screen built for quick decisions
Instead of burying the important layers, the home screen leads with them: thunderstorm risk by region, live radar and rainfall outlooks. Users can follow a storm as it strengthens or weakens and zoom between a local view and a wider outlook.
Map layers for every kind of severe weather
- Thunderstorm risk maps
- Cyclone tracking with intensity overlays
- Flood risk and rainfall projection maps
- Snow and temperature views
- Lightning strike data, satellite imagery and wind direction
Forecasts written by the Higgins team
The News section streams public forecasts from the Higgins forecasters, with multi day outlooks for Queensland, New South Wales and other high risk regions. News and Glossary content opens the matching page on the Higgins website, which keeps the app light while still offering in depth articles.
A paid tier for power users
A Premium Portal Membership, listed at $45 per year when the app launched, unlocks extended data sets, advanced models, forecast maps beyond three days and earlier alerts on major developments. That makes the app useful for farmers, professionals, storm chasers and residents in at risk areas.
Education, video and community
Beyond maps, the app helps people understand what they are seeing:
- A weather glossary for non experts
- Higgins Public TV with exclusive weather videos
- A Member Portal for signed in premium users
- A Share Weather Video feature so followers can upload storm footage from the field
Everything sits in a collapsible sidebar so navigation stays simple during stressful moments.
How it is built
The app runs on the Higgins WordPress site through the AppPresser framework. Forecast content and user accounts are managed in WordPress and delivered to the mobile apps, so the forecasting team publishes once and the app stays current without a second backend.
What users are saying
Early App Store and community reviewers praised the clean layout, the daily details on one page and the absence of ads.
The takeaway
A weather brand's most valuable asset is timely, trusted information. Connecting the app directly to the publishing system the team already uses means warnings, forecasts and videos reach phones as soon as they are posted.
Building an app around live data?
If you need a mobile app that stays in sync with your WordPress content, start a conversation with our team.
