Forecast API Improvements

The forecasts endpoint is one of our most utilized weather API endpoints. It provides daily, day and night, and hourly forecasts for up to the next 15 days. As a result, we are continually looking to improve our forecast endpoint and expand its functionality. Over the last few weeks, we have implemented several improvements to our forecast platform to increase the speed, accuracy, and functionality of the forecasts.

Improved European Forecasts

First off, we have implemented new models and data sources that significantly expand the spatial and temporal resolution across Europe. With these additional data sources, our users can expect improved forecast accuracy throughout Europe. The European forecast improvements are integrated as part of our forecast platform and will seamlessly benefit all API users.

Per Minute Weather Forecasts

We have supported hourly interval forecasts for several years within our API using  filter=#hr, where # is the interval in hours the forecast should be. For example, filter=1hr  returns hourly forecasts and filter=3hr returns forecasts in 3-hour intervals.

With our recent updates, we have expanded this feature to allow per-minute forecasts. In this case, you will use filter=#min instead, where # is the interval in minutes for each forecast period. For example, filter=1min  returns forecast data in 1-minute intervals and filter=15min  will return a weather forecast in 15-minute intervals.

Note that when requesting forecasts with the filter=#min option, the response will be limited to a maximum of 2 hours.

The forecast for the next 30 minutes in 1-minute intervals:

The forecast for the next 2 hours in 15-minute intervals:

The new #min filter is available for all Premium API subscribers and the free Developer trial.

Forecast Visibility Now Available

We have also received many requests to include visibility within the forecast endpoint. Since we already have visibility data within the observations and conditions endpoints and have forecast visibility map layers within AMP, it was an easy decision to add visibility to the forecast endpoint. Therefore, all forecast requests now include visibilityKM and visibilityMI as the visibility in kilometers and miles respectively. These new forecast properties are available to all API users.

Taking Advantage of the Improvements

The per-minute forecasts are available for API Premium users, while all other forecast improvements and updates are seamless and available for all users. Contact our accounts team or sign up for a free trial!

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