What is the difference between the Alerts API and the Weather Alarms API?

The Weather Alarms API is an AccuWeather-created product based on the AccuWeather forecast, and provides a response when a location has a forecasted weather condition that exceeds a specific threshold. Here is a link to the full list of thresholds.  For example, if a location is forecasted to receive more than a half inch of rain, a weather alarm will exist for that location.  AccuWeather provides this weather alarm information for all global locations.

The Alerts API is a product to return official weather alerts issued by a government meteorological agency or global weather alert provider. AccuWeather currently has coverage for many countries due to direct agreements with multiple global government meteorological agencies, and we continue to expand our coverage.  With these government agencies, AccuWeather has worked to process all the different alert formats and context in one normalized API response that is consistent no matter the source—making it easier for developers. Alert details are supported in all AccuWeather languages, with official text returned in the native language of the issuing provider. Some current examples of an alert are, “Blizzard Warning,” “Dense Fog Advisory,” “Flood Watch,” “Tornado Warning,” “Tsunami Advisory,” and “Hurricane Watch.”

Does AccuWeather support historical data with your API?

In our AccuWeather API Developer Portal we offer historical data as part of our Current Conditions endpoint. This includes a “Past 24 Hour Temperature Departure” section that shows the departure from the temperature observed 24 hours ago; a “Precipitation Summary” section that shows a summary of precipitation amounts over the past 24 hours, in 3-hour increments; and a “Temperature Summary” section that shows a summary of temperature fluctuations over the past 6, 12, and 24 hours.

Also in our AccuWeather API Developer Portal we offer historical data as part of our Historical Current Conditions (past 6 hours) and Historical Current Conditions (past 24 hours) endpoints.  The responses from these endpoints match those from the regular Current Conditions endpoint, but show top of the hour observations for the previous 6 and 24 hours, respectively.

In addition to this, AccuWeather offers Daily Climo data in the form of actuals, records, and normals through our separate AccuWeather Enterprise APIs. To learn more about our AccuWeather Enterprise APIs, please use the “Contact Us” link at the top right of our screens and select “Sales” to speak to a sales representative for pricing and agreement details—with a minimum 1-year contract.

Finally, we do not offer historical forecasts in either the AccuWeather API Developer Portal or our separate AccuWeather Enterprise APIs.

From your Packages & Pricing page, what does “CPM” mean?

“CPM” means Cost Per thousand, with the “M” representing the Roman numeral for “1000”.

For the Standard package, any calls over 225,000 are charged at $0.12 per 1,000 calls – or $0.00012 per API Request. 

For the Prime package, any calls over 1,800,000 are charged at $0.15 per 1,000 calls – or $0.00015 per API Request. 

For the Elite package, any calls over 2,400,000 are charged at $0.22 per 1,000 calls – or $0.00022 per API Request.

What is GZIP compression and why should I use it?

GZIP compression is a file format used for file compression and decompression. The use of GZIP greatly reduces the size of data being transmitted, which helps lower data usage for some devices. It also helps to increase the speed of data requests. Examples of how to enable GZIP compression can be found on our Best Practices page.

Why is my location not available in some languages?

We make it a priority to make locations available in languages that are native to that area first, then add supplemental non-native language support if available. All locations are always available in English as a default option.

Why does the Auto Complete function of the Locations API not return my location?

Auto Complete works best for Latin based languages, and when 3 or more characters are entered into the search request. The more characters entered, the more accurate your results. Auto Complete returns the top 10 global locations, ordered by rank. Auto Complete does NOT work for postal codes.

Why do some Location keys end in “_AL”, “_PC”, or “_POI”?

“_AL” is a database code to denote an alias location. This means it is an alternative name for a location. A “_PC” code denotes a location key for a postal code. And a “_POI” code stands for a point of interest. More information about each Location type can be found here.

Can I hard code location keys or links from the API response into my code to reduce API calls?

Hard coding any information, such as location keys or links to our mobile or traditional sites, is strongly discouraged. Instead, we recommend using the data within the API response and consistently updating this information to ensure any potential updates or changes are seamlessly received by your product. This helps to prevent any “breaking changes” caused by AccuWeather updates to improve the end user experience.

Where can I find Air Quality and Pollen Forecasts?

This information can be found in the Daily Forecast API response, but only when “details=true” is properly appended onto the API URL. Please note that this content is currently only available for locations in the U.S. and European regions.

Why are results not returned in both metric and imperial units in the Forecast API?

This is by design to help reduce payload sizes of the Daily and Hourly Forecast API responses. In addition to specific parameters, unit notations can also be found in forecast phrases. Therefore, returning both unit values in the Forecast response would require duplicating many parameters – which is not always preferred by developers. For this reason, to help reduce payload sizes and allow more developer options, units were separated to be more efficient for users only wishing to make use of one specific unit.

Is there a way to link to an extended daily forecast?

Yes. Links to our extended daily forecast are available at the beginning of our Daily Forecast API response, within the “Headline” section.

What is MinuteCast?

MinuteCast is AccuWeather’s precipitation forecast for the next 120 minutes.  With more countries and minutes than any other minute-by-minute weather forecast, the AccuWeather MinuteCast provides added benefits to help people’s lives.  The Basic version of this patented forecast, offered here, includes start and end times for precipitation by the minute for the next two hours, localized to a person's exact GPS location.
The Premium version of this patented forecast, which offers additional response parameters, is available through our separate Enterprise-level APIs

AccuWeather's MinuteCast provides responses in over 200 languages and dialects.