Something new is coming - The new WeatherIQ website launches into beta on Thursday 29th October

Author: Dominic Fichera

Posted on: Thursday, October 22nd, 2026, 9:27:06 AM

🌤️ The new WeatherIQ website is coming, and you can try it from this Thursday

G’day everyone,

 

You probably don’t know me, so a quick introduction. I’m Dominic, and I’m the tech person working behind the scenes for Nitso. I keep the website running, and if you’ve ever emailed us because something wasn’t working, I’m most likely the one who read it and helped sort it out.

 

For a good while now I’ve been working on something I’m really excited to finally show you: a completely rebuilt WeatherIQ website. It isn’t a lick of paint over the old one. We started again from the ground up, and the beta opens on Thursday 29th October.

 

 

First up: we know change can be hard

 

Lots of you have been using the current website for years and know exactly where everything is. A new layout can feel unsettling, especially when it’s something you depend on during cyclone season.

 

That’s why we’re running a beta first rather than just switching everything over one day. The beta runs alongside the current website, so nothing is being taken away. You can look around, get comfortable and tell us what you think, and the website you know is still there whenever you want it.

 

We picked this date on purpose. The weather around now looks fairly calm, so there’s plenty of time to explore with no risk of you missing out on Nitso's forecasts.

 

Alright, let's get down to the nitty gritty of it all - What does the new website give you?

 

⚡ It’s fast. Really fast.

 

When WeatherIQ first went live back in November of 2023, speeds appeared normal. But over the last couple of years and after many internal upgrades and changes, it's become near impossible to maintain that original performance. I've noticed it, and I'm sure you have too. As a result, this was the change I most wanted to get right... And I'm pleased to share that the new website has managed to bring back that original performance.

 

During our preliminary testing, these were the results:

 

• Logging in used to take about 7 to 10 seconds on average. On the new site it takes 1 to 2 seconds.
• Loading a page used to take about 5 seconds. Now it’s 1 to 2 seconds.

 

That adds up, especially on a busy weather day when you’re checking in often.

 

Note: During the beta, you may not see some of these speeds while we iron out a few technical constraints on our end, but by the time we're live you can bet we'll be living life in the fast lane 😎

 

📱 Feels like a proper app on your phone

 

The new site was designed with phones and tablets in mind from the start. There’s a navigation bar along the bottom of the screen, like the apps you’re used to, so everything is within easy reach of your thumb.

 

Even better, you can add WeatherIQ to your home screen. It then gets its own icon and opens just like a real app, with no app store needed. It's as simple as tapping the "Share" icon on an iPhone, or the ⋮ icon on an Android, then "Add to home screen".

 

 

🌙 Light mode and dark mode

 

Prefer a bright screen during the day and something gentler on the eyes at night? You can now choose between light and dark mode.

 

 

 

🗺️ A fresh look for your Personalised Weather Dashboard

 

Your Personalised Weather Dashboard has had a full makeover. It should now be easier to find your way around and easier to understand at a glance.

 

 

💬 A better place to read and chat

 

Nitso’s posts are the heart of WeatherIQ, so we put a lot of care into them:

 

• A cleaner blog layout, so Nitso’s posts come first instead of the page being filled with video thumbnails.
• Better comments and replies, with proper emoji support 😄
• Collapse comment threads when things get busy, so you can focus on what you want to read.
• Email alerts when someone replies to you. You can turn these off completely, or just for one post, if things get a bit chatty.
• Tag other people in the conversation so they know you’re talking to them (Coming soon!).

 

 

🔐 Easier, safer sign-in with passkeys

 

You can now sign in with a passkey. Instead of typing a password, you unlock with your fingerprint, face or phone PIN, the same way you unlock your phone. It’s quicker, more secure, and there’s one less password to remember. Passwords still work if you’d rather stick with what you know.

 

⚙️ More control over your account

 

The account page has been refreshed, with more options so your account and subscription work the way you want. For example, you can now use one email address for your account and a different one for billing. That’s handy if a family member or business takes care of the payments.

 

🌀 A refreshed Affiliate Store

 

The store has been tidied up and now includes a dedicated cyclone preparedness checklist along with our weather station recommendations. It’s worth a look before the season really gets going.

 

✉️ Emails that look the part

 

Every email we send has been redesigned to look cleaner and more modern.

 

 

🛟 We can help you better

 

This one is mostly behind the scenes, but you’ll notice the difference if you ever need help. The new website gives us much better support tools. For example:

 

• We can see which emails we’ve sent you, and whether they actually arrived.
• If your email has been blocked by mistake, we can spot it and fix it quickly.
• If you accidentally change your notification settings and can’t work out how to change them back, we can do it for you.

 

In short, less “have you tried checking your junk folder?” and more getting things fixed.

 

🤓 A bit about how it’s built (for the curious)

 

Feel free to skip this part! The old website was built quickly on a mix of different services. That got WeatherIQ off the ground, but a few years on and it was starting to show its age. The new one is properly engineered from the ground up on Amazon’s cloud (AWS). It’s built in separate pieces that each do one job well, and it’s set up carefully so it’s reliable, secure and much easier for us to improve. That’s a big part of why it’s so much faster, and why new features should come along more easily from here.

 

🧪 How the beta works

 

From 6pm Thursday 29th October, the beta website will run alongside the current one. It’s linked to your existing account, so your subscription, details and blog conversations carry across. You will be able to access it by visiting https://beta.weatheriq.com.au.

 

Please note, if you try to visit the website before 6pm Thursday 29th October, you will not be able to login.

If anything on the beta doesn’t behave, the current website is still there as normal so you'll never be locked out of Nitso's forecasts.

 

🙏 Please tell us what you think

 

This is the most important part. Nothing is set in stone. We’d love to hear:

 

• What do you like?
• What don’t you like?
• What else would you like to see?
• What does and doesn't work for you?

 

Please keep it friendly and constructive. There’s a real person on the other end reading it (hi 👋). If something isn’t working for you, let’s have a chat and see what we can do - After all, that's the point of a beta!

 

You can submit feedback via our Contact Us form, or emailing us at support@weatheriq.com.au.

 

Thanks for being part of WeatherIQ. I can’t wait for you to try it!

 

Cheers,

Dominic

Tech, behind the scenes at WeatherIQ