When you plan to design a new weather forecasting weather app, you must choose the best Application Programming Interface (API). A good weather API will help power the new app. It depends, whether you choose a premium or free API.
In this article, we will discuss some of the most suitable APIs that can help you to develop a weather forecasting app or other similar services. These weather APIs are appropriate for iOS or Android apps or SAAS apps. They can also be handy in web services to display current weather status and future forecasting for the weather.
Most of the weather APIs discussed below are free to use, but there are certain limitations on the usage of the free version. However, the premium version comes with a paid plan and offers extended services and usage. While developing a weather forecasting app, you should consider a free API from this list.
Leading APIs for Your Weather App in 2021
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Let us now look at the APIs helpful in designing a weather app.
1. Tomorrow.io
The API by Tomorrow.io is one of the most useful weather APIs we have seen. It provides historical as well as real-time weather information. It comes with advanced features, like alerts and insight reports. Some of its most sophisticated features include fire index, pollen, air quality, and road risk. Tomorrow.io provides numerical and statistical data with map layers which give an updated report on local and global weather.
Tomorrow.io stores historical data for the last 6 hours. However, you can get historical data of 4 weeks on METAR-certified as well as other stations.
For your app, you can get the weather information by REST API. It is necessary to use JSON along with the support of HTTPS. It is free for up to 500 calls each day.
2. Open Weather Map
The Open Weather Map API offers free weather forecasts and data which is appropriate for any web-based services, and smartphone applications.
The ideology is derived from Wikipedia and OpenStreetMap that makes facts and figures and other information available for free to everybody.
The Open Weather Map API offers an array of weather information. It provides a local and global map with up-to-date weather, weekly forecast, and air quality. It also provides data on precipitation, clouds, and wind. It provides data from around 40,000 weather stations along with universal Meteorological broadcast services.
You can use JSON / XML API to receive weather reports for your app. You can have 50 calls for free for every minute.
3. AccuWeather
To get the services of AccuWeather, you have to pay for it. AccuWeather provides its premium services of weather forecasting globally. The subscribers are allowed to access the service of AccuWeather API. You can access the weather data based on your location through a RESTful web interface. AccuWeather provides the weather data in 40 languages.
Use JSON and JSONP to use the data available in AccuWeather for your app. SSL encryption provides secure communication. You require an API key to access AccuWeather.
4. The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel is a US-based satellite TV channel that has been providing weather data for around 30 years. The Weather Channel partnered with Weather Underground Inc and provides weather API globally, covering 80 languages worldwide.
Weather information for your app can be received from JSON or XML. It also offers data in GIF, SWF, and PNG format.
5. Weatherstack (Formerly known as APIXU)
Weatherstack provides current weather information and weather forecast for 10 days. It also gives 30 days of historical data in its free plan. The data for the API service is in XML and JSON format. Their free plan is limited to 1000 API calls in a month.
Weatherstack API uses all the main programming languages, like C#, JavaScript, Ruby, JAVA, PHP, and Python. In a free plan, you can enjoy up to 1000 API calls per month.
6. World Weather Online
This API provides current local weather data as well as the history of the local weather. The advanced features offer marine weather information and mountain weather data. The API provides weather data by using standard HTTP and HTTPS. It uses formats like JSON-P and JSON, and XML.
The World Weather Online offers premium API services. You can subscribe to it with a trial package of 60 days. The API coding is available in all prime programming languages, including Objective-C, VB.Net, C#, and PHP.
7. Weatherbit.io
With a free plan of Weatherbit.io, you can access five days’ weather forecast and weather data for the last 30 days. It allows you to make 45 API calls every minute. Weatherbit.io updates every 2 hours.
To get access to HTTPS API calls, you have to switch to a premium plan. A subscriber of a premium plan gets a higher limit for API calls and hourly weather forecasts. It will also reduce the updating interval from 2 hours to 10 minutes.
Choosing the Ideal API for Your Weather App
Weather is very crucial in our personal and professional lives. A daily check on weather updates keeps you safe from any unwanted mishaps. Checking the daily weather forecast data is necessary for many services and apps. With the help of the above list of weather APIs, you can design your app that forecasts weather.
There are numerous other weather APIs, but to keep the list short, we have included only the best APIs. Although you can upgrade to a premium plan, the important thing is that most of the API in the above list offer free services.
The list of APIs can help you to develop one of the best apps for weather forecasting.