Ask me what my new favorite thing is lately and I’ll tell you it’s Poncho. Poncho is a new service available for residents of NYC (with ambition to expand to other cities) that provides personalized weather information to you at different times throughout the day. Through a series of simple questions like what time you wake up, how you commute to work, do you have pets, etc., it creates a weather forecast that is either texted or emailed to you at times you specify. The interface is slick and pretty, and it never feels bothersome or intrusive since it only notifies you when you want it to about the things you want to know about.

Right now, I have Poncho set to text me when I wake up in the morning and just before I leave work at night. It’s simple, it’s witty, and it’s saved me several times when I was about to not be prepared for what’s happening out of doors. It’s like having a really thoughtful friend who knows your schedule and is obsessed with the weather and just wants to make sure you wear your warmer coat because it feels like 10 degrees outside.

I’m a big fan of supporting start ups that exist to make life easier, so check ’em out over at http://www.poncho.is. With the type of winter we’re experiencing in the Northeast (dear God, when is Spring coming), it never hurts to be prepared!