Hunter Research and Technology has released version 6.1 of its weather app Wx (http://www.hrtapps.com/wxmac/). It's available in the Mac App Store for US$9.99 and is compatible with OS X 10.6. and 10.7. Version 6.1 is a maintenance update.

Wx displays current conditions, forecasts, warnings, and radar for U.S. locations using XML data from the National Weather Service. The app is designed for two types of customers: serious weather watchers who want detailed information and facts with no fuss, and casual users who want a fast, clean, and functional weather app.

Wx helps users set up locations on an embedded map, guiding them to choose nearby NWS observation sites, nearby NEXRAD radar, and nearby city- and county-based alert zones. The app sets up a seven-day summary "point" forecast customized for the specific latitude and longitude of the location, and a seven-day "pro" forecast that graphs temperature (actual and apparent), dew point, relative humidity, cloud cover, wind speed, wind direction, gust speed, 12-hour probability of precipitation, six-hour liquid precipitation amount, and six-hour snow amount.

Wx also lets users setup weather maps for quick reference. Users can choose from 18 default NWS maps and images, or provide the URL for any map of interest and load it right in the app. This allows users to access their favorite weather maps and images from preferred weather providers and keep them handy. Other features of Wx include a display of weather conditions in the dock icon, seven day sun and moon phase information, and a high performance multi-threaded radar display with seven types of radar.