Anyone using the WeatherUnderground API for developers?

[SLOweather]

See http://www.wunderground.com/weather/api/d/edit.html

Is anyone using this yet, and if so, do you have any comments?

The Weather Underground API delivers reliable and accurate weather data for your applications. Our JSON or XML formatted and RESTful API has been developed by developers for developers. Need current conditions, forecasts, astronomy, radar, or satellite images? The Weather Underground API will provide all of this data and more. We support over 80 languages! Click the documentation page to see our full list of features.

You will discover that this developer portal contains a nearly effortless sign-up process and a robust, yet simple, key security system. Because we built our API with you, the developer, in mind we have included a built-in rate tracker, customizable calls, an error logger, and feature monitoring developer tools. Our Dashboard and Analytics will allow you to track how your users interact with your application.

We know of no other weather API that is more reliable, data-rich, globally vast, instantly scalable, and as easy to use as the Weather Underground API.

Using our API key is absolutely free at the developer level. After you get your key be sure to check out our raindrop feature. If you go over your plan's rate limit, we will forgive spikes in requests with these raindrop credits. We will give you 3 raindrops when you sign up and then one more freebee every week. Moreover, Raindrop Rewards are given for linking your application to www.wunderground.com.

Are you a student or a non-commercial developer? We want to support your data needs and we invite you to use our API for free. Sign up for a Developer key and explore the depth of our data. If you exceed your usage, contact us regarding student keys.

Let's Get Started!

[Farmtalk]

I just registered here at school and am going to try it out tonight! Thanks for the link!

[CNYWeather]

Yep. I had a couple of scripts made for me.

I'm using it for:

Ken helped me along with getting KRME's normals & high/low record temps which werent available on the regular WU site
using JSON.

Curly did a couple for me also, the short forecast on my main page and WU 10 day forecast.
So far so good and havent gone over my quota.

[Curly]

I've played around with their 10 day forecast quite a bit.
Using JASON is fairly easy to work with!

BUT...
I don't think the forecast is always accurate and the data doesn't always match up.

For instance, the rain forecast doesn't always add up. They list a qpf (quantity of precipitation forecast) for all day, day, and night in which those hardly add up and sometimes a pop is listed with no qpf listed.
Found some listings of partly cloudy for the am & pm and it shows a qpf.
Sometimes the temperature forecast is 20 degrees higher for a particular day, as compared to the NWS forecast, but later on that forecast will drop to a more realistic value.
Wind gusts usually don't go 5 mph over the average wind speed.

There is a lot of data provided, but since most of it's inaccurate, it's hard to put it on a web page without confusing the visitor.

[SLOweather]

So far so good and havent gone over my quota.

Yeah, that's gonna be a problem. Any "live" testing on SLOweather will put me over the 500 per day limit before 9 AM on most days, and the 5000 limit when the weather is bad. $20/month is one thing, $200 is another.

[saratogaWX]

I did some playing around with using the API for forecasts (about the time that WU started blocking IP addresses for overuse) and worked up a WU-forecast-json.php script that displayed the same as the current WU-forecast.php script did.

There are two big drawbacks to using the API for hobbyists:
1) you have to register to get your own API key for it to work, and
2) it is only free to use for a limited number of accesses per day (to support developers), and after that, your feed is cut-off unless you subscribe (for a fee) to a higher-number of accesses per-day plan.

I'd asked them about releasing a generic key or a less limited key for WU members who submit data, but the response was negative

So.. nice idea, nice API, not-so-nice terms-of-use make it less attractive for hobbyist usage (IMHO).

Best regards,
Ken  

[SLOweather]

BUT...
I don't think the forecast is always accurate and the data doesn't always match up.

For forecasts, I'm thinking about using the NWS XML feed from their "point and click" map database. I've been fairly impressed with it. That's the one that is used for their own pages like THIS.

Clicking on the map outside of the red square generates a new forecast for that area, and it really does change over a short distance at times, more accurately reflecting the geography and microclimates.

I was thinking about checking out the satellite and radar offerings.

[CNYWeather]

They give out "Raindrops" to help you out with referrals to their site.

Some reason I keep getting them. Got 6 now but i'm not complaining.

[Curly]

I cache the data and it's held for an hour. That's a safe bet that it wouldn't exceed the 10 hits per minute or 500 per day.
One raindrop was used because there were more than 10 key hits a minute. That is when a user could put in a zip code and get that forecast, so I had to shut that option off.

For forecasts, I'm thinking about using the NWS XML feed from their "point and click" map database. I've been fairly impressed with it. That's the one that is used for their own pages like THIS.

Clicking on the map outside of the red square generates a new forecast for that area, and it really does change over a short distance at times, more accurately reflecting the geography and microclimates.

I've played around with that one too! The code was getting quite lengthy to use what the NWS uses.
What about using a different google map and get the XML forecast?

[DaculaWeather]

I have a couple of pages that Danny Crum helped me with and it appears to use the API's
http://www.daculaweather.com/4_metar_dacula.php
http://www.daculaweather.com/4_metar_awxf.php

[jgillett]

2) it is only free to use for a limited number of accesses per day (to support developers), and after that, your feed is cut-off unless you subscribe (for a fee) to a higher-number of accesses per-day plan.

Very true, and the hits can add up quickly. For instance, I'm using it on http://tiggrweather.net/wxwumetar.php. Since I'm looking at 10 stations there, I visitor hit on that page counts as 10 hits to the API. That can add up fast. If you have accumulated 'raindrops' (forgot how, but they explain it in the terms), you'll get a message like I did a few minutes ago...

Code:

Your wunderground API key (xxx) exceeded its allotted usage today by making 18 calls within a minute but the limit is 10.

We used one of your raindrops instead of disabling the key for the remainder of the day. You now have 2 remaining raindrops.

We check usage for 24-hour periods based on U.S. Eastern Time.

So, if you're wet you keep going - if not you're shut down for the day.

Plans look like this (per mo)...

Plan:         Stratus Cumulus Anvil   +History  
Developer   $0       $0         $0      +$0
Drizzle       $20      $150      $300   +$500
Shower      $200     $300      $500   +$2500
Downpour   $300     $500      $750   +$5000

[jonnyj771]

I have an API key for WU so i can put in forecasts via autoip. However, I am lost as to how that works getting the script. If anyone can help me out with that it would be greatly appreciated.