Simple weather forecast is passé, this VR app puts you in the center of meteorological conditions

Accuweather is launching a special version of its app exclusively for the Samsung Gear VR. Called Weather for Life for Samsung Gear VR, rather than simply give users a weather forecast, it puts them in the centre of the prevailing meteorological conditions.

However, as well as an immersive take on local precipitation levels, the app will enable users to stand in the middle of tornados and other extreme weather events that have been captured in 360-degree video.

"The app is interactive and easy for users to access immersive 360-degree video content and weather forecasts, all with the Superior Accuracy from AccuWeather they rely on, experiencing weather in revolutionary new ways," said Steven Smith, President of Digital Media at AccuWeather.

The new app is available to download from the Oculus store from Friday and will be compatible with any Samsung Galaxy smartphone or phablet that works with the company's VR headset.