Weather API's (Changing Again!)

Just a heads up for anyone using these services, I received a couple of emails recently regarding weather APIs that I make use of.

One from the UK Met Office -

"Met Office DataPoint will be retired on 01 December 2025"

And one form Accuweather -

"AccuWeather is introducing a more powerful and streamlined platform, along with updated subscription options to suit every stage of your journey:"

So it looks like I will be needing to revisit that issue again. :tired_face:

Don't you just love "progress" :rofl:

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Met Office introduced their new API a couple of years back I think. I'm sure I moved over to it.

I also got the AccuWeather notes - but their new API appears to be a trial license? I've not really had a chance to check the details.

Data is money, while you can look at the website for free, underwater it uses the same api and suddenly it needs to cost money.

I have had a Netatmo weatherstation for many years and all netatmo weather stations are automatically being collected into a single API, which is available to all its users. Quite accurate too, especially when people locally around you also have the rain/wind sensors. Depending on the data you need, it might be an alternative option (although the weather stations nowadays dont seem cheap either).

You should try Pirate Weather I’ve been using it for quite a while. I use a ‘http request’ node using the GET method. You will need to get an api key but it is not hard to get.

Likewise,but it's so labyrinthine I've never been able to confirm it's not still lurking somewhere.

When AccuWeather improved their service by charging for it I switched to OpenWeatherMap.

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Well, all I can say is that, today, they ALL got our local weather completely wrong!

Forecast was for sun all day and high temperatures - instead it has been heavy overcast and heavy rain all morning and only now just starting to clear.

Gotta love Sheffield's many micro-climates!

I'll see what AccuWeather end up charging for their new API but I doubt it will be worth it for me to use. In any case, I mostly just look up the weather on the Met Office mobile app or simply look out of the window! :slight_smile:

I also have an account with OpenWeatherMap who are also changing things up a bit with a new AI assistant - may be fun to play with.

Have a look at these discussions: https://discourse.nodered.org/t/moving-from-darksky-io/79221a

I thought it wasn't as grim up north any more

On the topic the way things are going with weather api's and the amount of time spent reconfiguring things, and the poor response ( e.g. MET cloud cover codes and not a linear 1-10 or 0-100) I may move to a home weather station like @bakman2.

I know they are free but would be nice to see some consistency in the responses.

I move from openweather due to wanting banking details to get free access. I am currently using the METS latest api.

Haha, well climate change is certainly shifting things our way. It is actually very pleasant here now and the rain has cleared the mugginess nicely. So really can't complain.

I know what you mean. Two things always stop me. The cost and the fact that I'm too lazy to set it up! I'll add it to the bottom of my retirement projects list. :rofl:

Honestly though, I mostly don't bother with trying to do forecasting UI's myself, my phone is always on me anyway and will work anywhere I have signal or WiFi so why bother?

I guess it would be nice to have something to remind me to water the garden or turn the heating up in a cold-spell but otherwise the phone apps are more than enough.

Like you I look outside for myself,. But am trying to predict the solar, so am attempting some next day forecast using cloud cover and uv index along side a solar forecast api.

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Whats about openweathermap.org ? I dont have any experience with the reliablilty. For the moment I use Agrar Wetter | Bayer CropScience Deutschland GmbH manually what is pretty accurate for my area in south Germnay but sometimes awesome slow and the API requries subscription.

It is useful to know if you are in an area with microclimates such as where I live in Sheffield which is not only on the edge of the Pennines with mostly flat land out to the North Sea but also is built around multiple hills. So weather can be highly variable across 1/2mile. But other areas of the world may have weather that is stable across large areas.

For me, a forecast that relies on sensors at airfields (closest being around 30 miles away in very different terrain) is completely useless. But for others might be absolutely accurate.

Here is as close as I could get to an elevation profile from coast to coast through Sheffield:

And from Sheffield to the coast

This looks promising (until it isn't) !

I'm not sure what lies between 20 and 40 miles from you, but I hope they have a plan for sea level rise :wink:

We are roughly under the "h" of Sheffield. This is a global projected sea level for 2050

And 2100

We are fine because we are over 200m up. Our nearest airport is near Doncaster. That is 20 miles away and is just 6m above sea level.

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Glad you are safe Julian.

Gotta say it's not looking good for East Anglia and Southwark. Or indeed Bangladesh and Nederlands.

I feel sure though that before Westminster sinks below the waves the world will do something to reduce emissions. :thinking:

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How sure ?
:rofl:

Since 1988 when the IGPC was formed, global annual CO2 emissions have been slashed from 22 billion tonnes to 36 billion tonnes.

UK has cut emissions by 50%, mostly by exporting our industry to the third world, so I think it's only fair we remain above water.

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Ooh! do you know something that I don’t, or is it wishful thinking :wink:

It IS supposed to be re-opening Spring next year :slight_smile:

The airport itself is slightly higher than its surroundings so should just about stay above water for the next century!