I used this document when developing the code because it allowed me to note down different information about the API because the documentation isn't very helpful. I've also tried my best not to critisise how poor this API is and how it doens't conform to modern standard at all. In my opinion I found it horrendous and I should have used a different one but I wanted to get the data from the horses mouth, so to speak.
The api usually gives a response like this for a specific location
GET http://datapoint.metoffice.gov.uk/public/data/val/wxfcs/all/json/310013?res=3hourly&key=<YOURAPIKEY>
"SiteRep": {
"Wx": {
"Param": [
{"name": "F", "units": "C", "$": "Feels Like Temperature"},
{"name": "G", "units": "mph", "$": "Wind Gust"},
{"name": "H", "units": "%", "$": "Screen Relative Humidity"},
{"name": "T", "units": "C", "$": "Temperature"},
{"name": "V", "units": "", "$": "Visibility"},
{"name": "D", "units": "compass", "$": "Wind Direction"},
{"name": "S", "units": "mph", "$": "Wind Speed"},
{"name": "U", "units": "", "$": "Max UV Index"},
{"name": "W", "units": "", "$": "Weather Type"},
{"name": "Pp", "units": "%", "$": "Precipitation Probability"}
]
},
"DV": {
"dataDate": "2022-03-07T14:00:00Z",
"type": "Forecast",
"Location": {
"i": "310013",
"lat": "53.479",
"lon": "-2.2465",
"name": "MANCHESTER",
"country": "ENGLAND",
"continent": "EUROPE",
"elevation": "36.0",
"Period": [
{
"type": "Day",
"value": "2022-03-07Z",
"Rep": [
{
"D": "ESE",
"F": "1",
"G": "16",
"H": "83",
"Pp": "8",
"S": "4",
"T": "3",
"V": "GO",
"W": "8",
"U": "1",
"$": "540"
},
{
"D": "ESE",
"F": "3",
"G": "18",
"H": "69",
"Pp": "9",
"S": "7",
"T": "6",
"V": "VG",
"W": "8",
"U": "2",
"$": "720"
},
{
"D": "ESE",
"F": "5",
"G": "20",
"H": "58",
"Pp": "5",
"S": "9",
"T": "7",
"V": "VG",
"W": "7",
"U": "1",
"$": "900"
},
{
"D": "ESE",
"F": "3",
"G": "22",
"H": "60",
"Pp": "0",
"S": "11",
"T": "7",
"V": "VG",
"W": "0",
"U": "0",
"$": "1080"
},
{
"D": "SE",
"F": "-1",
"G": "27",
"H": "68",
"Pp": "1",
"S": "13",
"T": "4",
"V": "VG",
"W": "0",
"U": "0",
"$": "1260"
}
]
},
{
"type": "Day",
"value": "2022-03-08Z",
"Rep": [
{
"D": "SE",
"F": "-2",
"G": "25",
"H": "69",
"Pp": "5",
"S": "13",
"T": "3",
"V": "VG",
"W": "7",
"U": "0",
"$": "0"
},
{
"D": "ESE",
"F": "-3",
"G": "25",
"H": "70",
"Pp": "0",
"S": "11",
"T": "2",
"V": "VG",
"W": "0",
"U": "0",
"$": "180"
},
{
"D": "ESE",
"F": "-4",
"G": "25",
"H": "70",
"Pp": "0",
"S": "11",
"T": "1",
"V": "VG",
"W": "0",
"U": "0",
"$": "360"
},
{
"D": "ESE",
"F": "-2",
"G": "27",
"H": "65",
"Pp": "0",
"S": "13",
"T": "3",
"V": "VG",
"W": "1",
"U": "1",
"$": "540"
},
{
"D": "SE",
"F": "4",
"G": "31",
"H": "54",
"Pp": "0",
"S": "18",
"T": "8",
"V": "VG",
"W": "1",
"U": "2",
"$": "720"
},
{
"D": "SSE",
"F": "7",
"G": "31",
"H": "55",
"Pp": "4",
"S": "16",
"T": "10",
"V": "VG",
"W": "7",
"U": "1",
"$": "900"
},
{
"D": "SSE",
"F": "6",
"G": "31",
"H": "67",
"Pp": "15",
"S": "16",
"T": "9",
"V": "GO",
"W": "7",
"U": "0",
"$": "1080"
},
{
"D": "S",
"F": "5",
"G": "27",
"H": "81",
"Pp": "12",
"S": "13",
"T": "8",
"V": "GO",
"W": "7",
"U": "0",
"$": "1260"
}
]
},
{
"type": "Day",
"value": "2022-03-09Z",
"Rep": [
{
"D": "SSE",
"F": "4",
"G": "22",
"H": "87",
"Pp": "1",
"S": "9",
"T": "7",
"V": "VG",
"W": "2",
"U": "0",
"$": "0"
},
{
"D": "SSE",
"F": "3",
"G": "22",
"H": "87",
"Pp": "4",
"S": "11",
"T": "6",
"V": "VG",
"W": "7",
"U": "0",
"$": "180"
},
{
"D": "SSE",
"F": "3",
"G": "25",
"H": "86",
"Pp": "5",
"S": "11",
"T": "6",
"V": "VG",
"W": "7",
"U": "0",
"$": "360"
},
{
"D": "SSE",
"F": "4",
"G": "29",
"H": "80",
"Pp": "5",
"S": "16",
"T": "8",
"V": "VG",
"W": "7",
"U": "1",
"$": "540"
},
{
"D": "S",
"F": "7",
"G": "38",
"H": "65",
"Pp": "6",
"S": "20",
"T": "11",
"V": "VG",
"W": "7",
"U": "2",
"$": "720"
},
{
"D": "S",
"F": "8",
"G": "36",
"H": "60",
"Pp": "10",
"S": "20",
"T": "12",
"V": "VG",
"W": "7",
"U": "1",
"$": "900"
},
{
"D": "S",
"F": "7",
"G": "34",
"H": "71",
"Pp": "17",
"S": "18",
"T": "10",
"V": "GO",
"W": "7",
"U": "0",
"$": "1080"
},
{
"D": "S",
"F": "5",
"G": "29",
"H": "82",
"Pp": "22",
"S": "16",
"T": "9",
"V": "GO",
"W": "7",
"U": "0",
"$": "1260"
}
]
},
{
"type": "Day",
"value": "2022-03-10Z",
"Rep": [
{
"D": "SSW",
"F": "5",
"G": "22",
"H": "87",
"Pp": "20",
"S": "11",
"T": "8",
"V": "GO",
"W": "7",
"U": "0",
"$": "0"
},
{
"D": "SW",
"F": "4",
"G": "20",
"H": "87",
"Pp": "11",
"S": "11",
"T": "7",
"V": "VG",
"W": "7",
"U": "0",
"$": "180"
},
{
"D": "SSW",
"F": "3",
"G": "18",
"H": "90",
"Pp": "12",
"S": "9",
"T": "6",
"V": "GO",
"W": "7",
"U": "0",
"$": "360"
},
{
"D": "S",
"F": "5",
"G": "20",
"H": "86",
"Pp": "8",
"S": "9",
"T": "8",
"V": "VG",
"W": "7",
"U": "1",
"$": "540"
},
{
"D": "S",
"F": "8",
"G": "25",
"H": "71",
"Pp": "8",
"S": "13",
"T": "10",
"V": "VG",
"W": "7",
"U": "2",
"$": "720"
},
{
"D": "S",
"F": "9",
"G": "29",
"H": "64",
"Pp": "7",
"S": "13",
"T": "12",
"V": "VG",
"W": "7",
"U": "1",
"$": "900"
},
{
"D": "S",
"F": "7",
"G": "25",
"H": "70",
"Pp": "6",
"S": "13",
"T": "10",
"V": "VG",
"W": "7",
"U": "0",
"$": "1080"
},
{
"D": "SSE",
"F": "6",
"G": "29",
"H": "73",
"Pp": "6",
"S": "16",
"T": "9",
"V": "VG",
"W": "7",
"U": "0",
"$": "1260"
}
]
},
{
"type": "Day",
"value": "2022-03-11Z",
"Rep": [
{
"D": "SSE",
"F": "6",
"G": "29",
"H": "79",
"Pp": "5",
"S": "16",
"T": "9",
"V": "VG",
"W": "7",
"U": "0",
"$": "0"
},
{
"D": "SSE",
"F": "6",
"G": "29",
"H": "83",
"Pp": "9",
"S": "16",
"T": "9",
"V": "VG",
"W": "8",
"U": "0",
"$": "180"
},
{
"D": "SSE",
"F": "6",
"G": "31",
"H": "82",
"Pp": "10",
"S": "16",
"T": "10",
"V": "VG",
"W": "7",
"U": "0",
"$": "360"
},
{
"D": "SSE",
"F": "7",
"G": "34",
"H": "80",
"Pp": "16",
"S": "18",
"T": "11",
"V": "VG",
"W": "7",
"U": "1",
"$": "540"
},
{
"D": "S",
"F": "9",
"G": "34",
"H": "78",
"Pp": "55",
"S": "18",
"T": "12",
"V": "GO",
"W": "7",
"U": "2",
"$": "720"
},
{
"D": "S",
"F": "9",
"G": "29",
"H": "79",
"Pp": "61",
"S": "16",
"T": "12",
"V": "GO",
"W": "14",
"U": "1",
"$": "900"
},
{
"D": "S",
"F": "8",
"G": "25",
"H": "83",
"Pp": "43",
"S": "13",
"T": "11",
"V": "GO",
"W": "9",
"U": "0",
"$": "1080"
},
{
"D": "S",
"F": "6",
"G": "22",
"H": "87",
"Pp": "16",
"S": "11",
"T": "9",
"V": "GO",
"W": "2",
"U": "0",
"$": "1260"
}
]
}
]
}
}
}
}
The weather gives back a weatherType integer which corresponds to what the weather is currently. The list below is a reference I used to decide what weatherType should be what icon.
- 0=moon
- 1=sun
- 2=cloud-moon
- 3=cloud-sun
- 4=
- 5=smog
- 6=smog
- 7=cloud
- 8=cloud
- 9=cloud-moon-rain
- 10=cloud-sun-rain
- 11=cloud-rain
- 12=cloud-rain
- 13=cloud-moon-rain
- 14=cloud-sun-rain
- 15=cloud-showers-heavy
- 16=cloud-moon-rain
- 17=cloud-sun-rain
- 18=cloud-rain
- 19=cloud-moon-rain
- 20=cloud-sun-rain
- 21=cloud-rain
- 22=cloud-moon-rain
- 23=cloud-sun-rain
- 24=snowflake
- 25=snowflake
- 26=snowflake
- 27=snowflake
- 28=bolt-lightning
- 29=bolt-lightning
- 30=bolt-lightning
Then, when implementing this list is all the different unique ones from the list
unique icons= moon, sun, cloud-moon, cloud-sun, smog, cloud, cloud-moon-rain, cloud-sun-rain, cloud-rain, cloud-showers-heavy, snowflake, bolt-lightning
This is taken directly from the API. If you hit the sitelist endpoint you can get a list of all the sites with their ID's
GET http://datapoint.metoffice.gov.uk/public/data/val/wxfcs/all/datatype/sitelist?key=<APIkey>
{
"Locations": {
"Location": [
{
"elevation": "7.0",
"id": "3066",
"latitude": "57.6494",
"longitude": "-3.5606",
"name": "Kinloss",
"region": "gr",
"unitaryAuthArea": "Moray"
},
...
]
}
}(I'm goin to save you and not copy the location data here because its so long (that's what she said))
So I extracted the ones I needed from the locations.
- 310016 = Plymouth
- 350758 = Cardiff
- 5 = London
- 310002 = Birmingham
- 310115 = Norwich
- 310013 = Manchester
- 352798 = Newcastle
- 351351 = Edinburgh
- 310009 = Glasgow
- 350347 = Belfast