RunnerCast looks at five things when it sizes up the weather for a run: "feels like" temperature (how it actually feels on your skin), wind speed, precipitation chance, cloud cover and humidity.
Each factor gets scored, then they're blended together into a single number that maps to a condition.
The defaults are tuned for a typical recreational runner, but everyone's different so RunnerCast lets you tweak some of the dials yourself to better tune the system for your personal preferences.
Runner Type
The quickest way to calibrate the app. Fair Weather runners get more credit for comfortable conditions and a lower tolerance for heat, cold, or rain. Hardcore runners have a wider comfort window and need more extreme weather before the score drops. Pick whichever fits how you actually run.
Preferred Temperature Range
Tell RunnerCast the temperature band you feel best running in. Temperatures inside that range score at their best; anything outside it starts to pull the score down.
If you run hot and love cool days, push both ends lower. If you live somewhere warm and that's just normal for you, shift it up.
Comfort Thresholds
Fine-tune how RunnerCast weighs the individual conditions that affect your run.
Preferred Sky
Whether you prefer a clear blue sky, some clouds to keep the sun off, or a full overcast. This shifts what RunnerCast considers ideal cloud cover, so if you like running under a clear blue sky or prefer overcast conditions, RunnerCast can adapt the advice depending on your preference.
Winds
The wind speed you're comfortable running in. Below this threshold, wind doesn't hurt your score at all. Above it, the penalty gradually kicks in. Runners who barely notice a breeze can set this higher; those who hate wind can set it lower.
Humidity
Works the same way. Humidity below your threshold is a non-issue; above it, the score starts to drop.
Weighting
If one factor matters a lot more to you than others, you can shift how much each one influences the final score. Someone who despises running in rain can push precipitation's weight up. Someone who runs indifferent to cloud cover can dial that one down.
The weights are all relative — moving one up effectively moves the others down, so the final score always reflects the full picture.
Most people find that setting their runner type and preferred temperature range gets them 80% of the way there. The comfort thresholds and weighting are there if you want to go deeper.
Play around with a few settings at a time to get the advice dialed into your personal preferences. And you can always "reset" any of the sections to default if you totally mess things up.
