Weather impacts nearly every area of our lives – Weather conditions such as fog, rain, and snow impact commutes to work and travels to places in other parts of the world.
Weather impacts our health as it has a direct effect on the air we breathe (air quality), the water we drink, and the food we eat.
Weather impacts our safety as severe weather such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods often cause sudden mass destruction to homes, buildings, and other infrastructure.
Thanks to satellites, radar, remote sensors, and other weather monitoring technologies (such as National Weather Service alerts), we now have a better understanding of weather conditions and phenomena.
Weather APIs are Application Programming Interfaces that allow you to connect to large databases of weather forecast and historical information.
Thanks to APIs and smartphones with built-in GPS, we have access to mobile applications that provide hour-by-hour forecasts, severe weather alerts, and other relevant weather information for just about every place we go.
This blog post highlights several of the best weather APIs developers could use to build innovative web and mobile weather applications. Check out a few scenarios for using a weather API.
After reviewing over 22 weather APIs, we found these 8 APIs to be the very best and worth mentioning:
| OpenWeatherMap | Best for Weather Forecast | Connect to API |
| Weatherbit | Best for Weather Forecast & Alerts | Connect to API |
| AccuWeather | Best for Weather Conditions, Images, Cyclones & More | Connect to API |
| Dark Sky | Best for Forecast & Historical Data | Connect to API |
| Weather2020 | Best for Long Range Weather Forecast | Connect to API |
| Tomorrow.io (formerly ClimaCell) | Best for Realtime, Short Term & Hourly Forecasts | Connect to API |
| Visual Crossing | Best for Weather Forecast & Historical Data | Connect to API |
| AerisWeather | Best for Alerts, Conditions, Forecasts | Connect to API |
When choosing a weather API, you'll want to make sure it satisfies all your requirements.
Here are a few of our top picks for the best free weather APIs:
The OpenWeatherMap API currently provides a wide variety of weather data including (but not limited to) current weather, forecasts, historical, weather stations, and weather alerts.
The API also provides current and historical air pollution data such as carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). This feature is currently in beta and air pollution historical information goes back to November 2015.
The API documentation is comprehensive, easy to follow, and includes many examples of API requests and the responses returned. Numerous unofficial OpenWeatherMap API client libraries and wrappers are available on GitHub.
When connecting an API to a project or application, you must have an API key to authenticate your request. Creating an app within RapidAPI generates an API key (X-RapidAPI-Key) specific to that application. You can view analytics based on the API calls you make using this app key.
Learn how to use the weather API in python. Sign up today for free!
var settings = {
"async": true,
"crossDomain": true,
"url": "https://community-open-weather-map.p.rapidapi.com/weather?q=san%20francisco%2Cus",
"method": "GET",
"headers": {
"x-rapidapi-host": "community-open-weather-map.p.rapidapi.com",
"x-rapidapi-key": "SIGN-UP-FOR-KEY"
}
}
$.ajax(settings).done(function (response) {
console.log(response);
});Take a look of our detailed OpenWeatherMap vs Dark Sky API Comparison here.
The Weatherbit API provides basic access to the Weatherbit.io Weather API. With just latitude and longitude coordinates, you can get weather forecast data returned in JSON format.
The API has 5 endpoints:
The Weatherbit weather API, while not completely free, does offer a freemium basic plan that allows developers 150 requests/day.
View the pricing page for more details.
var http = require("https");
var options = {
"method": "GET",
"hostname": "weatherbit-v1-mashape.p.rapidapi.com",
"port": null,
"path": "/current?lang=en&lon=37.7749&lat=122.4194",
"headers": {
"x-rapidapi-host": "weatherbit-v1-mashape.p.rapidapi.com",
"x-rapidapi-key": "SIGN-UP-FOR-KEY"
}
};
var req = http.request(options, function (res) {
var chunks = [];
res.on("data", function (chunk) {
chunks.push(chunk);
});
res.on("end", function () {
var body = Buffer.concat(chunks);
console.log(body.toString());
});
});
req.end();AccuWeather currently provides a set of nine weather APIs which includes:
The AccuWeather API delivers detailed current, historical, and forecasted weather information for locations all over the world. Developers could build a wide range of innovative and engaging weather data-powered applications using AccuWeather.
There is even an Indices API that provides flight delays, mosquito activity, stargazing, and dozens of other daily index values for a specific location. The API documentation is nicely designed, comprehensive, and includes interactive documentation to try out API endpoints and see the responses (using the weather API key).
The free trial and paid plans include current conditions, 24-hour historical current conditions, forecasts, and indices.
| Limited Trial | Standard | Prime | Elite | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Locations | Locations | Locations | Locations | ||||
| Current Conditions | Current Conditions | Current Conditions | Current Conditions | ||||
| 24-Hour Historical Current Conditions | 24-Hour Historical Current Conditions | 24-Hour Historical Current Conditions | 24-Hour Historical Current Conditions | ||||
| Forecast 5-day | Forecast 5-day | Forecast 10-day | Forecast 15-day | ||||
| Forecast 12-hour | Forecast 12-hour | Forecast 72-hour | Forecast 120-hour | ||||
| Indices 5-day | Indices 5-day | Indices 10-day | Indices 15-day | ||||
| Alarms 5-day | Alarms 10-day | Alarms 15-day | |||||
| Translations | Translations | Translations | |||||
| Tropical | Tropical | ||||||
| Alerts | Alerts | ||||||
| Imagery | Imagery | ||||||
| Standard Pricing | Prime Pricing | Elite Pricing | |||||
50 calls/day Limit: 1 key/developer Free: Get started now! | Base Monthly Fee | CPM Rate | Base Monthly Fee | CPM Rate | Base Monthly Fee | CPM Rate | |
| $25.00 per month | $0.12 CPM over 225,000 calls per month | $250.00 per month | $0.15 CPM over 1,800,000 calls per month | $500.00 per month | $0.22 CPM over 2,400,000 calls per month | ||
The paid packages vary when it comes to the forecast in days/hours as well as indices, alerts, imagery, and other advanced weather features. An enterprise solution is available which provides historical weather data going back 60 years.
import http.client
conn = http.client.HTTPSConnection("accuweatherstefan-skliarovv1.p.rapidapi.com")
payload = ""
headers = {
'x-rapidapi-host': "AccuWeatherstefan-skliarovV1.p.rapidapi.com",
'x-rapidapi-key': "SIGN-UP-FOR-KEY",
'content-type': "application/x-www-form-urlencoded"
}
conn.request("POST", "/get24HoursConditionsByLocationKey", payload, headers)
res = conn.getresponse()
data = res.read()
print(data.decode("utf-8"))The Dark Sky app is one of the most accurate sources of hyperlocal weather information. The Dark Sky API (formerly Forecast.io) allows developers to access Dark Sky's weather data through the API (and was recently mentioned as one of the best weather APIs on reddit). The API provides:
Developers have two basic API requests to choose from, Forecast and Time Machine. The Forecast Request returns the current weather forecast for the next week, and the Time Machine Request returns weather conditions (observed or forecast) for a given date (past or future).
In some locations, historical weather data goes back 100 years. The API doesn’t come with any weather icons so that developers can use third-party icons or their own custom icons.
The one-page documentation is detailed, easy to follow, and includes several example requests in JSON. Developers can also find many unofficial Dark Sky API wrapper libraries on GitHub.
The API pricing is very simple; the first 1,000 API calls per day are free. After that, calls are $0.0001 each. Enterprise volume discount pricing is also available at this time.
How to use the Dark Sky API with Node.js (JavaScript)
OkHttpClient client = new OkHttpClient();
Request request = new Request.Builder()
.url("https://dark-sky.p.rapidapi.com/37.774929,-122.419418?lang=en&units=auto")
.get()
.addHeader("x-rapidapi-host", "dark-sky.p.rapidapi.com")
.addHeader("x-rapidapi-key", "SIGN-UP-FOR-KEY")
.build();
Response response = client.newCall(request).execute();The Weather2020 API is the most popular long-range weather forecast API that provides forecasts up to 12 weeks by:
Used by popular mobile apps like 1Weather, and already serving over 10 million forecasts a day, the Weather2020 long range weather forecasts give you something new and unique for your weather, travel or outdoor applications.
The Weather2020 Basic freemium plan provides 1000 free API requests/day. View all pricing plans for more info.
var client = new RestClient("https://weather2020-weather-v1.p.rapidapi.com/zip/e8ecee8ff60c478f8a36280fea0524fe/94105");
var request = new RestRequest(Method.GET);
request.AddHeader("x-rapidapi-host", "weather2020-weather-v1.p.rapidapi.com");
request.AddHeader("x-rapidapi-key", "SIGN-UP-FOR-KEY");
IRestResponse response = client.Execute(request);Tomorrow.io (formerly ClimaCell has a popular weather API powered by its MicroWeather technology.
Optimized for low latency, high accuracy, and integration with our MicroWeather Operating System tools. Weather data optimized to solve complex business problems.
Use this API to:
- in just a few lines of code.
var unirest = require("unirest");
var req = unirest("GET", "https://climacell-microweather-v1.p.rapidapi.com/weather/nowcast");
req.query({
"fields": "precipitation",
"unit_system": "si",
"lat": "42.8237618",
"lon": "-71.2216286"
});
req.headers({
"x-rapidapi-host": "climacell-microweather-v1.p.rapidapi.com",
"x-rapidapi-key": "SIGN-UP-FOR-KEY"
});
req.end(function (res) {
if (res.error) throw new Error(res.error);
console.log(res.body);
}); Visual Crossing Weather API provides instant access to both historical weather records and weather forecast data.
The Visual Crossing Weather API provides high-performance, low-cost access to global historical weather records and weather forecasts. Available weather metrics include temperature, rainfall, wind speed (including gusts), snow, perceived temperature, humidity, and pressure. Weather history data is available at the hourly and daily levels and global forecasts for hourly, daily, and 12-hour (day/night) periods. Every API call allows multiple locations in each request to maximize efficiency and minimize your cost. The API is suitable for occasional use to enterprise public deployments, Visual Crossing Weather offers the complete solution for all of your weather data needs in a single, comprehensive API.
The AerisWeather API delivers global weather data beyond what traditional free and paid sources offer, including hyperlocal current conditions, extended forecasts, and detailed historical datasets. With a focus on business and enterprise, AeriesWeather offers up developer-friendly features like mobile and JavaScript SDKs to help developers reach production faster.
Learn how clients are using weather data in some case studies.
Learn how to transition from Dark Sky API to AerisWeather.
While much of the weather data provided by these APIs are similar, there are differences in the days and time formats for weather forecasts, the number of years back for historical data, and the types of weather information provided.
While the weather APIs listed in this article have many capabilities, it might be worth combining or chaining these API requests with related geolocation APIs to get more accurate local weather conditions in your website or iOs/Android mobile app.
All of the weather APIs highlighted in this post have a free or limited free plan (freemium) available so that developers can try them out, which is the best way to see which weather API is the best one for your application.
All Weather APIs on RapidAPI are available in:
and produce JSON (and sometimes XML) responses. Learn more about RapidAPI SDKs.
To get started with these Weather APIs, first sign up for a free account on RapidAPI.
Then navigate to any of the APIs and test out the endpoints in the programming language of your preference.
For getting started, check out this quick guide.
There are multiple possibilities on how to integrate weather API data into your website.
A couple of examples include:
The possibilities are endless!
For APIs that provide UV Index, check out OpenUV.
The OpenUV API provides UV index data in real time (even hourly). This API requires an API key from the provider.
The UV Index provides a 14 day UV index forecast from cities all over the world.
The UV Index API is free up to 20 requests/month and then costs $0.04 per additional request.
Unfortunately, the Weather Underground API is no longer active. The Weather Underground API was a popular weather API, but as of 12/31/2018, the API is completely grounded.
Luckily, there are many Weather APIs available as an alternative to Weather Underground on RapidAPI. Check out the top weather APIs here.
If you want to begin using any of these APIs, you can head on over to RapidAPI and sign up for a free user account. With each account, you’ll be issued an API key to access all the APIs you subscribe to.
For more RapidAPI FAQ, click here.
What do you think is the best weather API? Which APIs are we missing? When you google weather APIs, what do you expect to see? Which weather company do you want to see release an API? Let us know in the comments below.
First, you'll need to pick an API. There are many weather APIs listed in this article that you could try.
After you've found the weather API that you'd like to integrate with, sign up for a RapidAPI. Why not? It's free.
Once you have an account, navigate to the API page of your weather API and subscribe to one of the API's pricing plans. Hint: There's usually a free tier that allows for a few API calls.
After subscribing, choose one of the API endpoints, enter all the required parameters, and the test the API right in the browser to make sure it's working correctly.
Finally, choose the coding language of your preference, and click "Copy Code Snippet". Drop the code snippet directly in your website or app, and voila! You've successfully integrated with a weather API!
| API | Forecast Data | Historical Data | Current/Real-Time Weather | Pricing | Number of Free Requests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenWeatherMap | Yes | No | Yes | Free | Unlimited |
| Weatherbit | Yes | No | Yes | Freemium | 150 per day |
| AccuWeather | Yes | No | Yes | Free Trial | 50 per day |
| Dark Sky | Yes | Yes | No | Freemium | 100 per month |
| Weather2020 | Yes | No | No | Freemium | 1000/day |
| Tomorrow.io (formerly ClimaCell) | Yes | No | Yes | Freemium | 100/day |
| Visual Crossing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Freemium | 500/month |
| AerisWeather | Yes | Yes | Yes | Freemium | 100/day |
Table of Contents
AccuWeather, might be a good service but VERY far from free.
Hi batman,
Thanks for the comment.
I would recommend checking out this collection of weather APIs to view some more options: https://rapidapi.com/collection/top-weather-apis
Are there any free weather APIs that you would recommend?
I would recommend Apixu Weather API
Dark Sky API is closing in 2021
DarkSky is no longer available to new users, and will only be available to existing users through the end of 2021.
I’m not coding mobile apps yet. Are any of these APIs available for workstation apps?
I disagree with putting Weatherbit as a top API since the majority of the time their current conditions are widly inaccurate (parts also make no sense such as UV Index) from my experience. It also wildly depends on where you are as some locations are better than others (Europe is pretty good from my testing). Their forecasts are ok for the most part and the issue is just with the current conditions.