Endpoint: normals/stations

The normals/stations dataset provides access to the complete co-op/station information that normals are available for.

Supported Actions

The following actions are supported with the normals/stations endpoint:

:id Requesting data by using the :id action is used for returning data for a particular item that has an ID associated with it. This is the primary method for requesting general weather information for a single location (observations, forecasts, advisories, etc.) as the location's name or a zip code serves as the id. Other endpoints may expect a certain value for the ID, such as storm cells whose ID value is a combination of the radar site identifier and unique identifier assigned to every storm cell. Refer to an endpoint's detailed documentation for specific information regarding how to use the :id action.
closest The closest action will query the API for data that is closest to the requested place and return the results, if any, in order from closest to farthest. If no limit is provided in the request, then only the closest single result will be returned.

If your request does not return results, you may try setting or increasing the radius being used.
within The within action allows for returning data within a variety of different geometrical regions. Currently supported geometries include a circle (requires a center point and radius), rectangle (requires two coordinate points defining the top-left and bottom-right corners) and polygon (requires at least three coordinate points). Unlike the closest action, the results will not be returned in any particular order based on distance.
search The search action is used as a more general query method and expects the query to be defined with the custom query for the request. Unlike the closest action, results will not be returned in any particular order.

Supported Parameters

The following parameters are optional unless otherwise noted:

p p=:place Defines the location to query data for. Refer to the list of supported place value formats.
limit limit=:total The total number of results to return as an integer. Each endpoint may have a set maximum for this value depending on usage.

The default limit is 1 if not specified. The maximum limit for this endpoint is 250.
radius radius=:distance:unit When requesting the closest results within a circle, the radius determines how far from the specified location to search. A valid unit value must be included in your radius value, e.g., "5mi", "10km", "25miles". If no unit is provided, your value is assumed to be in meters by default.

Most endpoints utilize a default radius of 50 miles, though some endpoints, such as lightning, may have tighter restrictions specified.
filter filter=:string Predefined filters for limiting the results. The filter value can be a single, comma-delimited or a semicolon delimited string of filter names.
query query=:string Used to filter results based on certain fields in the data set. See Advanced Queries for more details.
sort sort=:string Used to sort results based on certain fields in the data set. See Sorting for more details.
skip skip=:number Used to skip over a specific number of results in the data set.
fields fields=:string Provides a comma separated list of values for the API to return. This parameter is often used to limit the amount of data returned. See Reducing Output.

Supported Filters

The following filters can be passed to the filter parameter to reduce the results that are returned:

hastemp Returns stations that contain temperature normals.
hasprcp Returns stations that contain precipitation normals.
hassnow Returns stations that contain snowfall normals.

Supported Query Properties

Use the following supported property keys when creating custom queries for your requests:

id Query based on the co-op/station ID.
state Query based on the 2-letter state abbreviation.
country Query based on the 2-letter country abbreviation. (US only supported)
name Query based on the station name.

Sortable Fields

You can use the following fields to sort data. Review the sorting docs page for more information on the sort functionality.

id Sort based on co-op/station ID.
name Sort based on station name.
state Sort based on station's 2-letter state abbreviation.
country Sort based on station's 2-letter country abbreviation.

Examples

The /[:endpoint]/[:action]? portion within the query template below can be exchanged with any of the examples. Also, please note you will need to input your client credentials in the [ID] and [SECRET] fields which can be found under the Apps section of the members area.

https://api.aerisapi.com/[:endpoint]/[:action]?client_id=[ID]&client_secret=[SECRET]

Return the information for the closest station to Minneapolis, MN.
/normals/stations/minneapolis,mn?

Return the information for co-op station USC00214884.
/normals/stations/usc00214884?

Return the information for the closest 5 stations to 55403.
/normals/stations/closest?p=55403&limit=5&

Return the information for the closest station to 55403 that has snowfall information available.
/normals/stations/closest?p=55403&filter=hassnow&

Response

The following is an example of what each object in the response will consist of. Depending on your requested action, the response may contain multiple instances of this object within an array.

Default
GeoJSON

{
    "success": true,
    "error": null,
    "response": [{
        "id": "usc00050848",
        "loc": {
            "long": -105.266,
            "lat": 39.9919
        },
        "place": {
            "name": "boulder",
            "state": "co",
            "country": "us"
        },
        "profile": {
            "tz": "America\/Denver",
            "elevFT": 1671.5,
            "elevM": 509.47,
            "wmoid": null,
            "flags": {
                "temp": true,
                "prcp": true,
                "snow": true
            }
        },
        "relativeTo": {
            "lat": 40.01499,
            "long": -105.27055,
            "bearing": 171,
            "bearingENG": "S",
            "distanceKM": 2.597,
            "distanceMI": 1.614
        }
    }]
}
								

{
    "type": "FeatureCollection",
    "features": [{
        "type": "Feature",
        "id": "usc00050848",
        "geometry": {
            "type": "Point",
            "coordinates": [-105.266, 39.9919]
        },
        "properties": {
            "id": "usc00050848",
            "loc": {
                "long": -105.266,
                "lat": 39.9919
            },
            "place": {
                "name": "boulder",
                "state": "co",
                "country": "us"
            },
            "profile": {
                "tz": "America\/Denver",
                "elevFT": 1671.5,
                "elevM": 509.47,
                "wmoid": null,
                "flags": {
                    "temp": true,
                    "prcp": true,
                    "snow": true
                }
            },
            "relativeTo": {
                "lat": 40.01499,
                "long": -105.27055,
                "bearing": 171,
                "bearingENG": "S",
                "distanceKM": 2.597,
                "distanceMI": 1.614
            }
        }
    }]
}
								

Response Properties

The following properties will be provided in every response object:

id (string) The co-op/station ID.
profile.wmoid (string) The WMO ID of the station. null if unavailable.
profile.flags.temp (boolean) Flag indicating if the station has temperature normals.
profile.flags.prcp (boolean) Flag indicating if the station has precipitation normals.
profile.flags.snow (boolean) Flag indicating if the station has snowfall normals.
dataSource (string) Source for the climate station.
loc.long (number) The longitude coordinate of the record.
loc.lat (number) The latitude coordinate of the record.
place.name (string) The place or nearest place to the record.
place.state (string) The state abbreviation in which the record is located. This may be null depending on the country.
place.country (string) The country abbreviation in which the record is located.
relativeTo.lat (number) Latitude coordinate of the location used for the request. This may be different than the record's loc.lat value if there was no record exactly at the request location.
relativeTo.long (number) Longitude coordinate of the location used for the request. This may be different than the record's loc.long value if there was no record exactly at the request location.
relativeTo.bearing (number) Bearing in degrees of the record's location relative to the location used for the request.
relativeTo.bearingEng (string) Cardinal direction of the record relative to the location used for the request.
relativeTo.distanceKM (number) Distance, in kilometers, from the requested location to the record's actual location.
relativeTo.distanceMI (number) Distance, in miles, from the requested location to the record's actual location.
profile.tz (string) The timezone name association with the record's location.
profile.elevM (number) The elevation of the location in meters.
profile.elevFT (number) The elevation of the location in feet.

Last modified: September 14, 2023