AccuWeather API

Weather / API Key Intermediate HTTPS
50 calls/day (limited trial period — 14 days)

Overview

AccuWeather's API provides highly detailed weather forecasts, current conditions, and severe weather alerts for locations around the world. You first look up a location key using a city or coordinates, then use that key to retrieve forecasts or current conditions. It is well-suited for building weather apps, travel tools, or IoT dashboards that need reliable, professional-grade data.

💡

Beginner Tip

You must first call the Locations API to get a locationKey for your city, then use that key to call Current Conditions or Forecasts endpoints; skipping this step is the most common beginner mistake. The free tier gives 50 calls per day, so cache location keys and results to stay within limits.

Available Data

Temperature
Conditions
Humidity
wind speed
forecast data

Example Response

JSON Response
{
  "location": "Tokyo",
  "temperature": {
    "current": 22,
    "feels_like": 24,
    "min": 18,
    "max": 26
  },
  "condition": "Partly Cloudy",
  "humidity": 65,
  "wind": {
    "speed": 12,
    "direction": "NE"
  },
  "forecast": [
    {
      "date": "2025-01-16",
      "high": 25,
      "low": 17,
      "condition": "Sunny"
    }
  ]
}

Field Reference

LocalObservationDateTime ISO 8601 timestamp of when the current observation was recorded locally.
WeatherText Human-readable description of the current weather, such as Mostly Cloudy.
Temperature.Metric.Value Current temperature in Celsius at the observed location.
RelativeHumidity Current relative humidity as a percentage.
Wind.Speed.Metric.Value Wind speed in kilometers per hour.
HasPrecipitation Indicates whether precipitation is currently occurring at the location.

Implementation Example

// Get current conditions (requires location key lookup first)
const locationKey = "349727"; // NYC location key from Location API
const url = `https://dataservice.accuweather.com/currentconditions/v1/${locationKey}`;

const response = await fetch(url, {
  headers: {
    "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
  }
});
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${response.status}`);
const data = await response.json();

const current = data[0];
console.log(`Temperature: ${current.Temperature.Imperial.Value}°F (RealFeel: ${current.RealFeelTemperature.Imperial.Value}°F)`);
console.log(`Conditions: ${current.WeatherText}`);
console.log(`Humidity: ${current.RelativeHumidity}%`);

What Can You Build?

Note: These code examples are AI-generated and unverified. Always refer to the official API documentation for accurate usage.

Common Errors & Troubleshooting

401 Unauthorized The API key is invalid, not activated, or not included in the request.
Make sure your API key is passed as the apikey query parameter and that your AccuWeather developer account is active.
503 Service Unavailable or quota exceeded You have hit the daily request limit on the free tier (50 requests/day).
Implement caching so you do not repeat identical location or forecast requests, and consider upgrading your plan if you need more calls.
400 Bad Request: invalid location key The locationKey used is incorrect or does not exist.
Use the Locations Search API (/locations/v1/search) to retrieve a valid locationKey for your target city first.

Matrix Score Breakdown

🌐 Reachability 30/30
⚡ Speed 5/20
🔒 Security 15/15
🛠 Developer XP 12/20
✓ Reliability 10/15

Partially tested on Apr 5, 2026

Technical Specifications

Auth API Key
HTTPS REQUIRED
CORS UNKNOWN
Category Weather
Difficulty Intermediate
Verified: 2026-04-07

Alternatives to AccuWeather

Technical alternatives for different use cases.

More affordable with larger free tier

Better For

Budget projects needing decent weather data

Trade-off

Minute-by-minute precipitation forecasts

Micro-weather and hyperlocal forecasting capabilities

Better For

Hyperlocal weather for logistics and agriculture

Trade-off

General consumer weather app use cases

Better free tier and simpler pricing model

Better For

Startups and small projects with limited budget

Trade-off

Enterprise clients needing AccuWeather brand trust

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