We’ve all been there. You wake up and check the forecast. Nothing but blue skies all day. You get to work and you’re going great guns when, out of nowhere, a torrential 40-minute downpour puts an end to everything.

You curse the weatherman. You curse the lost time. You curse the fact that you could have been knocking off some interior work instead of scrambling off ladders in the rain and trying to gather your gear.

While no one has yet figured out how to control the weather, there are lots of tools out there to help you better plan for what the weather might bring.

Here, we take a look at a few of the old-faithful tools, and introduce a few lesser-known tools with what we predict could be some promising futures.

ACCUWEATHER

AccuWeather’s forecasts are updated every 15 minutes with information available for the next 15 days.

Cost: Free
Compatible: iPhone and Android
Updates: Every 15 minutes
Long range: 15 days
Other: Push notifications for severe weather, live radar, weather videos in English and Spanish

RADIUS (FROM WEATHER UNDERGROUND)

Radius focuses on short-term weather forecasting. Users can submit reports of hazardous conditions or view reports from others in their area. Push alerts offer a valuable heads-up on pending weather changes.

Cost: Free
Compatible: iPhone and iPod Touch
Updates: Every 15 minutes
Long range: 5 days
Other: Animated radar and satellite; users can set push alerts for severe weather moving into a given radius

DARK SKY

Dark Sky offers at-a-glance time and distance information for pending weather.

Cost: $3.99
Compatible: iPhone and iPad
Updates: Every minute
Long range: 7 days
Other: Push alerts, zoomable radar animations

THE WEATHER CHANNEL

Recently redesigned, the Weather Channel app is graphically attractive and easy to navigate, and features local and long-range forecasts and motion radar images.

Cost: Free
Compatible: iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows phone
Updates: Every 20 minutes
Long range: 10 days
Other: Push alerts, radar animations, video

PARTLY CLOUDY

Partly Cloudy’s unique clock visualization displays pending weather in a completely intuitive way.

Cost: $1.99
Compatible: iPhone
Updates: Every minute
Long range: 7 days
Other: Push alerts, unique at-a-glance infographic design