Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
Weather forecasting is neither astrology nor a claim to knowledge of the unseen, because it is based on observable causes and scientific data, such as wind movement, atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity, cloud movement, and other phenomena that can be observed and measured.
There is a major difference between knowledge of the unseen, which belongs exclusively to Allah, and predicting a future event based on visible causes and signs.
Allah says:
“Say, ‘None in the heavens and the earth knows the unseen except Allah.’”
[An-Naml: 65]
Forecasting rain at a certain time or place does not mean claiming certain knowledge of the unseen. Rather, it is a prediction based on available atmospheric indicators, and therefore it may be correct or incorrect.
The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta explained that forecasting winds, storms, cloud formation, or rainfall is based on understanding the natural laws Allah has established in creation through scientific theories and observations. The resulting forecast is an estimation and prediction, not certain knowledge of the future.
Likewise, Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy on him, explained that matters which can be known through calculations or observable causes do not fall under fortune-telling or knowledge of the unseen. He gave examples such as calculating the times of solar and lunar eclipses, as well as forecasting weather based on measurements and atmospheric signs.
Therefore, there is nothing wrong with consulting weather websites and apps and benefiting from their forecasts, whether for one day or several days ahead, while recognizing that these forecasts are based on causes and calculations and may change or be inaccurate. As for certain knowledge of what will happen in the future, that belongs to Allah alone.
And Allah knows best.