I used to keep a browser tab open to weather.com all day. Then I started using a weather widget in my new tab, and that tab never opened again.
Small things compound. Here's the setup I've settled on after two years of experimenting with Firefox as a productivity tool.
The Problem With Weather Apps
Most weather apps are slow and ad-heavy. weather.com loads 4MB of JavaScript before showing you the temperature. The Dark Sky app was perfect until Apple killed it outside iOS.
What I actually need from weather each morning is:
- Current temp + conditions
- Will it rain today?
- 3-day outlook (for planning outdoor activities, wardrobe, commute)
That's it. I don't need animated radar, hourly forecasts, or news.
Weather & Clock Dashboard
Weather & Clock Dashboard does exactly that as a Firefox new tab. It's a replacement new tab that shows:
- Live weather with current temp and conditions icon
- 3-day forecast
- World clocks (configurable cities)
- Search bar
It's MIT licensed, pure HTML/CSS/JS, open source on GitHub. No tracking, no ads, no newsletter popup.
The key advantage over a dedicated weather app: it's ambient. I open a new browser tab to do something, and weather is already there. I don't have to consciously check it — it's just part of my environment.
World Clocks in Context
The world clock feature is what I use most after weather. I work with a team distributed across EST, CET, and IST. Before having world clocks in my new tab, I'd constantly recalculate time differences mentally, sometimes getting it wrong.
Now I glance at the new tab and see current times in all three zones before messaging anyone. It's a 2-second check that's prevented several "oh I didn't realize it was midnight for you" moments.
The Full Setup
My morning browser ritual:
- Open new tab → see weather + world clocks
- Check 3-day forecast: does anything change my day? (Bring umbrella? Leave early?)
- Check what time it is for teammates I need to reach
- Actually start working
The entire ritual takes under 30 seconds. The friction of checking weather on a dedicated app was small but real — enough that I'd often skip it and be caught off guard by afternoon rain.
Dark Mode Toggle
Weather & Clock Dashboard has a dark/light mode toggle that respects your preference. I keep it on dark mode because I work in a dim room. The toggle is just a button in the corner — no preference syncing, no account needed.
Zero-Configuration Start
One thing I appreciate: it works immediately on install with no required configuration. Location permission prompt, you accept → weather appears. You can add world clock cities later, but you don't have to.
A lot of new tab extensions front-load configuration ("set your background, add widgets, connect your calendar...") before you can use them. Weather & Clock Dashboard just works.
What weather tools do you rely on day-to-day? I'm curious if anyone has found something better than ambient new tab weather for quick checks.
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