General Weather State

Weather symbol

The weather symbol is the easiest way to query an overview of the weather state.

weather_symbol_<interval>:idx

Available intervals: 20min, 30min, 1h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h

Example:

Show the weather symbols for the next 5 days. A table with the different symbols and their meaning can be viewed below:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00Z--2023-09-26T00:00:00Z:PT1H/weather_symbol_1h:idx/50,10/xml

Symbol Id (Day)	Symbol Id (Night)	Description
0	0	A weather code could not be determined
1	101	Clear sky
2	102	Light clouds
3	103	Partly cloudy
4	104	Cloudy
5	105	Rain
6	106	Rain and snow / sleet
7	107	Snow
8	108	Rain shower
9	109	Snow shower
10	110	Sleet shower
11	111	Light Fog
12	112	Dense fog
13	113	Freezing rain
14	114	Thunderstorms
15	115	Drizzle
16	116	Sandstorm

An archive containing all weather symbols above can be found here.

Weather Code

Weather code according to the present weather code 4677 of the international WMO Standard¹ (mean for 1h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h)

weather_code_<interval>:idx

Weather symbol mean for 1h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h

Meaning of Symbols: 00 - 19, 20 - 29, 30 - 39, 40 - 49, 50 - 59, 60 - 69, 70 - 79, 80 - 99

Code	Meaning	Additional Information
00 - 19	No precipitation, fog, ice fog (except for 11 and 12), duststorm, sandstorm, drifting or blowing snow
00	Cloud development not observed or not observable	Characteristic change of the state of sky during the past hour
01	Clouds generally dissolving or becoming less developed	Characteristic change of the state of sky during the past hour
02	State of sky on the whole unchanged	Characteristic change of the state of sky during the past hour
03	Clouds generally forming or developing	Characteristic change of the state of sky during the past hour
04	Visibility reduced by smoke, e.g. veldt or forest fires, industrial smoke or volcanic ashes
05	Haze
06	Widespread dust in suspension in the air, not raised by wind at or near the station at the time of observation
07	Dust or sand raised by wind at or near the station at the time of observation, but no well developed dust whirl(s) or sand whirl(s), and no duststorm or sandstorm seen
08	Well developed dust whirl(s) or sand whirl(s) seen at or near the station during the preceding hour or at the time ot observation, but no duststorm or sandstorm
09	Duststorm or sandstorm within sight at the time of observation, or at the station during the preceding hour
10	Mist
11	Patches	Shallow fog or ice fog at the station, whether on land or sea, not deeper than about 2 metres on land or 10 metres at sea
12	More or less continuous	Shallow fog or ice fog at the station, whether on land or sea, not deeper than about 2 metres on land or 10 metres at sea
13	Lightning visible, no thunder heard
14	Precipitation within sight, not reaching the ground or the surface of the sea
15	Precipitation within sight, reaching the ground or the surface of the sea, but distant, i.e. estimated to be more than 5 km from the station
16	Precipitation within sight, reaching the ground or the surface of the sea, near to, but not at the station
17	Thunderstorm, but no precipitation at the time of observation
18	Squalls	At or within sight of the station during the preceding hour or at the time of observation
19	Funnel cloud(s)	At or within sight of the station during the preceding hour or at the time of observation
20 - 29	Precipitation, fog, ice fog or thunderstorm at the station during the preceding hour
20	Drizzle (not freezing) or snow grains	Not falling as shower(s)
21	Rain (not freezing)	Not falling as shower(s)
22	Snow	Not falling as shower(s)
23	Rain and snow or ice pellets	Not falling as shower(s)
24	Freezing drizzle or freezing rain	Not falling as shower(s)
25	Shower(s) of rain
26	Shower(s) of snow, or of rain and snow
27	Shower(s) of hail, or of rain and hail
28	Fog or ice fog
29	Thunderstorm (with or without precipitation)
30 - 39	Duststorm, sandstorm, drifting or blowing snow
30	Slight or moderate duststorm or sandstorm	Has decreased during the preceding hour
31	Slight or moderate duststorm or sandstorm	No appreciable change during the preceding hour
32	Slight or moderate duststorm or sandstorm	Has begun or has increased during the preceding hour
33	Severe duststorm or sandstorm	Has decreased during the preceding hour
34	Severe duststorm or sandstorm	No appreciable change during the preceding hour
35	Severe duststorm or sandstorm	Has begun or has increased during the preceding hour
36	Slight or moderate blowing snow	Generally low (below eye level)
37	Heavy drifting snow	Generally low (below eye level)
38	Slight or moderate blowing snow	Generally high (above eye level)
39	Heavy drifting snow	Generally high (above eye level)
40 - 49	Fog or ice fog at the time of observation
40	Fog or ice fog at a distance at the time of observation, but not at the station during the preceding hour, the fog or ice fog extending to a level above that of the observer
41	Fog or ice fog in patches
42	Fog or ice fog, sky visible	Has become thinner during the preceding hour
43	Fog or ice fog, sky invisible	Has become thinner during the preceding hour
44	Fog or ice fog, sky visible	No appreciable change during the preceding hour
45	Fog or ice fog, sky invisible	No appreciable change during the preceding hour
46	Fog or ice fog, sky visible	Has begun or has become thicker during the preceding hour
47	Fog or ice fog, sky invisible	Has begun or has become thicker during the preceding hour
48	Fog, depositing rime, sky visible
49	Fog, depositing rime, sky invisible
50 - 59	Drizzle at the station at the time of observation
50	Drizzle, not freezing, intermittent	Slight at time of observation
51	Drizzle, not freezing, continuous	Slight at time of observation
52	Drizzle, not freezing, intermittent	Moderate at time of observation
53	Drizzle, not freezing, continuous	Moderate at time of observation
54	Drizzle, not freezing, intermittent	Heavy (dense) at time of observation
55	Drizzle, not freezing, continuous	Heavy (dense) at time of observation
56	Drizzle, freezing, slight
57	Drizzle, freezing, moderate or heavy (dence)
58	Drizzle and rain, slight
59	Drizzle and rain, moderate or heavy
60 - 69	Rain at the station at the time of observation
60	Rain, not freezing, intermittent	Slight at time of observation
61	Rain, not freezing, continuous	Slight at time of observation
62	Rain, not freezing, intermittent	Moderate at time of observation
63	Rain, not freezing, continuous	Moderate at time of observation
64	Rain, not freezing, intermittent	Heavy at time of observation
65	Rain, not freezing, continuous	Heavy at time of observation
66	Rain, freezing, slight
67	Rain, freezing, moderate or heavy (dence)
68	Rain or drizzle and snow, slight
69	Rain or drizzle and snow, moderate or heavy
70 - 79	Solid precipitation not in showers at the station at the time of observation
70	Intermittent fall of snowflakes	Slight at time of observation
71	Continuous fall of snowflakes	Slight at time of observation
72	Intermittent fall of snowflakes	Moderate at time of observation
73	Continuous fall of snowflakes	Moderate at time of observation
74	Intermittent fall of snowflakes	Heavy at time of observation
75	Continuous fall of snowflakes	Heavy at time of observation
76	Diamond dust (with or without fog)
77	Snow grains (with or without fog)
78	Isolated star-like snow crystals (with or without fog)
79	Ice pellets
80 - 99	Showery precipitation, or precipitation with current or recent thunderstorm at the station at the time of observation
80	Rain shower(s), slight
81	Rain shower(s), moderate or heavy
82	Rain shower(s), violent
83	Shower(s) of rain and snow mixed, slight
84	Shower(s) of rain and snow mixed, moderate or heavy
85	Snow shower(s), slight
86	Snow shower(s), moderate or heavy
87	Shower(s) of snow pellets or small hail, with or without rain or rain and snow mixed	Slight
88	Shower(s) of snow pellets or small hail, with or without rain or rain and snow mixed	Moderate or heavy
89	Shower(s) of hail, with or without rain or rain and snow mixed, not associated with thunder	Slight
90	Shower(s) of hail, with or without rain or rain and snow mixed, not associated with thunder	Moderate or heavy
91	Slight rain at time of observation	Thunderstorm during the preceding hour but not at time of observation
92	Moderate or heavy rain at time of observation	Thunderstorm during the preceding hour but not at time of observation
93	Slight snow, or rain and snow mixed or hail at time of observation	Thunderstorm during the preceding hour but not at time of observation
94	Moderate or heavy snow, or rain and snow mixed or hail at time of observation	Thunderstorm during the preceding hour but not at time of observation
95	Thunderstorm, slight or moderate, without hail but with rain and/or snow at time of observation	Thunderstorm at time of observation
96	Thunderstorm, slight or moderate, with hail at time of observation	Thunderstorm at time of observation
97	Thunderstorm, heavy, without hail but with rain and/or snow at time of observation	Thunderstorm at time of observation
98	Thunderstorm combined with duststorm or sandstorm at time of observation	Thunderstorm at time of observation
99	Thunderstorm, heavy, with hail at time of observation	Thunderstorm at time of observation

Corresponding symbols to weather codes:

Weather codes from 100 - 199 correspond to the weather codes 00 - 99 of the code 4680 of the international WMO Standard for present weather reported from an automatic weather station (mean for 1h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h).

Meaning of Symbols: 100 - 119, 120 - 129, 130 - 139, 140 - 149, 150 - 159, 160 - 169, 170 - 179, 180 - 189, 190 - 199

Code	Meaning	Additional Information
100 - 119	No precipitation, clouds, haze, smoke, dust, mist
100	No significant weather observed
101	Clouds generally dissolving or becoming less developed	Characteristic change of the state of sky during the past hour
102	State of sky on the whole unchanged	Characteristic change of the state of sky during the past hour
103	Clouds generally forming or developing	Characteristic change of the state of sky during the past hour
104	Haze or smoke, or dust in suspension in the air, visibility >= 1 km
105	Haze or smoke, or dust in suspension in the air, visibility < 1 km
106 - 109	Reserved
110	Mist
111	Diamond dust
112	Distant lightning
113 - 117	Reserved
118	Squalls
119	Reserved
120 - 129	Precipitation, fog or thunderstorm at the station during the preceding hour
120	Fog	Reported at the station during the preceding hour but not at the time of observation
121	PRECIPITATION	Reported at the station during the preceding hour but not at the time of observation
122	Drizzle (not freezing) or snow grains	Reported at the station during the preceding hour but not at the time of observation
123	Rain (not freezing)	Reported at the station during the preceding hour but not at the time of observation
124	Snow	Reported at the station during the preceding hour but not at the time of observation
125	Freezing drizzle or freezing rain	Reported at the station during the preceding hour but not at the time of observation
126	Thunderstorm (with or without precipitation)	Reported at the station during the preceding hour but not at the time of observation
127	BLOWING OR DRIFTING SNOW OR SAND
128	Blowing or drifting snow or sand, visibility >= 1 km
129	Blowing or drifting snow or sand, visibility < 1 km
130 - 139	Fog or ice fog
130	FOG
131	Fog or ice fog	In patches
132	Fog or ice fog	Has become thinner during the past hour
133	Fog or ice fog	No appreciable change during the past hour
134	Fog or ice fog	Has begun or become thicker during the past hour
135	Fog, depositing rime
136 - 139	Reserved
140 - 149	Precipitation
140	PRECIPITATION
141	Precipitation	Slight or moderate
142	Precipitation	Heavy
143	Liquid precipitation	Slight or moderate
144	Liquid precipitation	Heavy
145	Solid precipitation	Slight or moderate
146	Solid precipitation	Heavy
147	Freezing precipitation	Slight or moderate
148	Freezing precipitation	Heavy
149	Reserved
150 - 159	Drizzle at the station at the time of observation
150	DRIZZLE
151	Drizzle, not freezing	Slight
152	Drizzle, not freezing	Moderate
153	Drizzle, not freezing	Heavy
154	Drizzle, freezing	Slight
155	Drizzle, freezing	Moderate
156	Drizzle, freezing	Heavy
157	Drizzle and rain	Slight
158	Drizzle and rain	Moderate or heavy
159	Reserved
160 - 169	Rain at the station at the time of observation
160	RAIN
161	Rain, not freezing	Slight
162	Rain, not freezing	Moderate
163	Rain, not freezing	Heavy
164	Rain, freezing	Slight
165	Rain, freezing	Moderate
166	Rain, freezing	Heavy
167	Rain (or drizzle) and snow	Slight
168	Rain (or drizzle) and snow	Heavy
169	Reserved
170 - 179	Solid precipitation not in showers at the station at the time of observation
170	SNOW
171	Snow	Slight
172	Snow	Moderate
173	Snow	Heavy
174	Ice pellets	Slight
175	Ice pellets	Moderate
176	Ice pellets	Heavy
177	Snow grains
178	Ice crystals
179	Reserved
180 - 189	Shower(s) or intermittent precipitation at the station at the time of observation
180	SHOWER(S) OR INTERMITTENT PRECIPITATION
181	Rain shower(s) or intermittent rain	Slight
182	Rain shower(s) or intermittent rain	Moderate
183	Rain shower(s) or intermittent rain	Heavy
184	Rain shower(s) or intermittent rain	Violent
185	Snow shower(s) or intermittent snow	Slight
186	Snow shower(s) or intermittent snow	Moderate
187	Snow shower(s) or intermittent snow	Heavy
188	Reserved
189	Hail
190 - 199	Current or recent thunderstorm at the station at the time of observation
190	THUNDERSTORM
191	Thunderstorm, slight or moderate	With no precipitation
192	Thunderstorm, slight or moderate	With rain showers and/or snow showers
193	Thunderstorm, slight or moderate	With hail
194	Thunderstorm, heavy	With no precipitation
195	Thunderstorm, heavy	With rain showers and/or snow showers
196	Thunderstorm, heavy	With hail
197 - 198	Reserved
199	Tornado

Generic terms for weather (e.g. fog, drizzle) are intended for stations capable of determining types of weather but no other information. These generic terms are included in the table with capital letters.

Corresponding symbols to weather codes (codes 00 - 99 in this table correspond to codes 100 - 199):

Examples:

Query the weather codes for Europe today (could take some seconds to load):
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00Z/weather_code_1h:idx/europe:0.05,0.05/html
Example for visualized weather codes on a precipitation chart for June 30th, 2022:

Weather Text

This parameter provides an automated text snipped describing the general weather state of the queried day. It is currently available in English, German, French and Italian.
The weather text always refers to a specific day. Therefore, only the date specification is relevant in the query, the time can be set to 00 UTC.

weather_text_de:str
weather_text_en:str
weather_text_fr:str
weather_text_it:str

Weather texts are currently available for a single coordinate and a single parameter in the same request and available in the CSV format only.

Example

Show the weather text for today:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00Z/weather_text_en:str/50,10/csv

validdate;weather_text_en:str
2019-04-08T00:00:00Z;Today after sunrise the sky will be overcast.
In the afternoon it will be mostly sunny. About 4 hours of sunshine are predicted. 
It stays very balmy with temperatures between 9°C and 16°C. 
After daybreak there is a slight northeasterly wind which shifts afterwards to a slight southerly wind. 
In the late evening the sky is partly cloudy, in the second half of the night dense mist may appear.

Visibility

This parameter returns the visibility in kilometers. Fog conditions occur if the visibility is less than 1km.

visibility:<unit>

Available units: m, km, ft, nmi

Examples:

Show the visibility for Switzerland:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00Z/visibility:km/Switzerland:0.005,0.005/html_map
To obtain the data in a different output format, just replace the format parameter in the URL with one of the following: csv, json, xml, png, html, netcdf.
Here is an example for the xml format:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00Z--2023-09-23T00:00:00Z:PT3H/visibility:km/47.412164,9.340652/xml

Runway Visual Range

This parameter returns the distance over which a pilot is able to see the runway surface markings at the runway margin. This parameter is used for assessing the conditions for landing and takeoff.

runway_visual_range:m
runway_visual_range:ft

Examples:

The evolution of the runway visual range from 2018/12/10 to 2018/12/20:

Current situation:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00Z--2023-09-24T00:00:00Z:PT1H/runway_visual_range:m/47.467205,8.541801/html?model=mix

Dew or Rime

This index gives you an idea whether dew or rime will occur. Dew or rime forms if the surface cools down quicker than the surrounding air, which causes condensation onto the surface at high relative humidities. Dew and rime are very sensitive to solar radiation and disappear quickly as the surface warms. Rime is the frozen version of dew.

0: neither dew nor rime, 1: dew, -1: rime

dew_or_rime:idx

Examples:

Temperature and dew or rime evolution from 2020/01/10 to 2020/01/15:

Current situation:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00Z--2023-09-26T00:00:00Z:PT1H/dew_or_rime:idx,t_0m:C/47.412164,9.340652/html

Fog

Check if there was any fog within the last hour or 30 minutes.

0: no fog, 1: fog event

is_fog_<interval>:idx

Available intervals: 30min, 1h

Examples:

Show if there is any fog expected during the next four days. The visibility is also shown as the two parameters contain similar information:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00Z--2023-09-26T00:00:00Z:PT1H/visibility:km,is_fog_1h:idx/47.412164,9.340652/html

Another example as a json output for fog expectation during the next six hours:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00ZPT6H:PT1H/visibility:km,is_fog_1h:idx/47.412164,9.340652/json

{"version":"3.0","user":"api-test","dateGenerated":"2018-02-07T16:10:49Z","status":"OK","data":
 [{"parameter":"visibility:km","coordinates":[{"lat":47.4122,"lon":9.34065,"dates":
 [{"date":"2017-02-07T00:00:00Z","value":20},{"date":"2017-02-07T01:00:00Z","value":20},
 {"date":"2017-02-07T02:00:00Z","value":20},{"date":"2017-02-07T03:00:00Z","value":20},
 {"date":"2017-02-07T04:00:00Z","value":20},{"date":"2017-02-07T05:00:00Z","value":20},
 {"date":"2017-02-07T06:00:00Z","value":20}]}]},
 {"parameter":"is_fog_1h:idx","coordinates":[{"lat":47.4122,"lon":9.34065,"dates":
 [{"date":"2017-02-07T00:00:00Z","value":0},{"date":"2017-02-07T01:00:00Z","value":0},
 {"date":"2017-02-07T02:00:00Z","value":0},{"date":"2017-02-07T03:00:00Z","value":0},
 {"date":"2017-02-07T04:00:00Z","value":0},{"date":"2017-02-07T05:00:00Z","value":0},
 {"date":"2017-02-07T06:00:00Z","value":0}]}]}]}

Icing Potential

Icing is absolutely critical in aviation and in-flight icing on planes are the cause of multiple near-accidents or even crashes. Consequently, it is crucial for aviation to have reliable icing forecasts predicting the expected occurrence of icing on different altitudes and allowing for early circumnavigation.

icing_potential_<level>:idx

Available pressure levels: 1000hPa, 975hPa, 950hPa, 925hPa, 900hPa, 875hPa, 850hPa, 825hPa, 800hPa, 775hPa, 750hPa, 700hPa, 650hPa, 600hPa, 550hPa, 500hPa, 450hPa, 400hPa, 350hPa, 300hPa
Available flight levels: FL10 - FL605 (continuously)

Index	Description
0.0-0.2	No Icing
0.2-0.4	Traces
0.4-0.6	Light
0.6-0.8	Moderate
0.8-1.0	Heavy

Examples:

Below showing an example screenshot of the icing potential at 500hPa displayed via the powerful Meteomatics WMS interface. Very well visible is the icing potential along the cold front associated with the strong low pressure system West of Ireland.

Hourly icing forecast on several layers for the next 5 days in one location:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00ZP5D:PT1H/icing_potential_300hPa:idx,icing_potential_500hPa:idx,icing_potential_800hPa:idx/47.457625,8.555272/html

Interval Values of Icing Potential

Gives the mean, maximum or minimum icing potential at the indicated flight level over the indicated duration.

icing_potential_<measure>_<level>_<interval>:idx

Available flight levels: FL10 - FL605 (continuously)

Available measures: mean, min, max

Available intervals: 1h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h

Examples

Create a time series for the maximum icing potential at FL100 for Los Angeles using 3 hour intervals.
Current situation:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00Z--2023-09-24T00:00:00Z:PT3H/icing_potential_max_FL100_3h:idx/34.0522,118.2437/html?source=mix

Slippery Road

Check if there is any chance for slippery roads within the given interval.

Probability:

prob_slippery_road_<interval>:p

Provides the probability for slippery roads from 0-100 %.

Binary Index:

is_slippery_road_<interval>:idx

0: no slippery road conditions, 1: slippery roads possible

Available intervals: 1h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h

Examples:

Check if slippery roads were probable on January 2^nd, 2017:
Current situation:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00Z--2023-09-26T00:00:00Z:PT1H/prob_slippery_road_1h:p,is_slippery_road_1h:idx/47.412164,9.340652/html

The possibility of slippery roads in the next five days in 12 hours steps as a json file output:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00Z--2023-09-26T00:00:00Z:PT12H/is_slippery_road_12h:idx/47.412164,9.340652/json

{"version":"3.0","user":"api-test","dateGenerated":"2018-02-07T16:17:17Z","status":"OK","data":
[{"parameter":"is_slippery_road_12h:idx","coordinates":[{"lat":47.4122,"lon":9.34065,"dates": 
[{"date":"2017-01-01T00:00:00Z","value":0},{"date":"2017-01-01T12:00:00Z","value":0}, 
{"date":"2017-01-02T00:00:00Z","value":0},{"date":"2017-01-02T12:00:00Z","value":0}, 
{"date":"2017-01-03T00:00:00Z","value":0},{"date":"2017-01-03T12:00:00Z","value":0}, 
{"date":"2017-01-04T00:00:00Z","value":0},{"date":"2017-01-04T12:00:00Z","value":1}, 
{"date":"2017-01-05T00:00:00Z","value":1},{"date":"2017-01-05T12:00:00Z","value":1}, 
{"date":"2017-01-06T00:00:00Z","value":0}]}]}]}

Planetary Boundary Layer Height

The planetary boundary layer (PBL) height is determined by identifying the height, where big wind direction changes, local minima of wind speed, local maxima of temperature, high temperature increases (inversion) or high potential temperature increases occur.

pbl_height:m

Example:

The PBL height until the day after tomorrow:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00Z--2023-09-23T00:00:00Z:PT1H/pbl_height:m/47.412164,9.340652/html

Snow Line

The snow line parameter provides the height above which precipitation occurs in the form of snow. Should it be undeterminable, for example if it is below ground level, it returns -666.

snow_line:m

Example:

The height of the snow line for the next 5 days:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00Z--2023-09-26T00:00:00Z:PT1H/snow_line:m/47.412164,9.340652/html

Freezing Level

The freezing level parameter provides the altitude where the temperature equals 0 °C. If the freezing level is below ground, the return value is -666. In case of strong convection, the height of the freezing level correlates with the size of hail observed at the surface, since it determines the melting area for falling hail.

freezing_level:<unit>

Available units: m, ft

Example:

The height of the freezing level for the next 5 days:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00Z--2023-09-26T00:00:00Z:PT1H/freezing_level:m/47.412164,9.340652/html

Stratospheric Polar Vortex (SPV): Wind speed

This index provides the average wind speed at 10, 50 or 200 hPa between 60 °N and 90 °N and thus indicates the strength of the stratospheric polar vortex during the polar winter.
The SPV index provides a measure of the circumpolar vortex strength and indirectly relates to a risk of cooling temperatures near the surface in the northern hemisphere, if decreasing below zero.
If the index becomes negative, the vortex disruption is such that a "split" or strong "displacement" is under way, possibly weakening the jet stream in the troposphere.

polar_vortex_<level>:ms

Available levels: 200hPa, 50hPa, 10hPa

Example:

Show the SPV strength at 10, 50 and 200 hPa for the next 100 days:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00ZP100D:P1D/polar_vortex_10hPa:ms,polar_vortex_50hPa:ms,polar_vortex_200hPa:ms/50,10/html

Power line oscillation warning

Precipitation in the form of freezing rain or wet snow can freeze onto overland power lines. With the increase in diameter and mass come a bigger air resistance and a lower resonance frequency. Strong wind over a sufficient amount of time could then excite the conductors to oscillate near their resonance frequency (sometimes referred to as gallop) and thereby damage the lines and masts.

A power line oscillation warning for the past 24 hours can be queried with the following parameter:

power_line_oscillation_24h:idx

The warning is binary with 1 corresponding to a warning and 0 to an all clear. Not taken into account are things like constructional details of the power lines or the Joule heat emitted by active power lines.

Example:

From March 24 2016 to March 26 2016 there was a power outage in Halton Hills due to galloping power lines, which is exemplified by the following time series:

Current situation:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00Z--2023-09-26T00:00:00Z:PT1H/power_line_oscillation_24h:idx/43.64,-79.931944/html

Soaring Index

The soaring-index is used for an estimation of the thermal situation. It is useful for paraglider and other sport pilots. A higher soaring-index also shows a greater chance of showers and thunderstorms, as it is a measure of the lift caused by convective clouds. The soaring index is independent of altitude, as it is computed with variables in different altitudes.

soaring conditions	soaring index range
poor	< -10
moderate	-10 to 5
good	5 to 20
excellent	> 20

soaring_index:idx

Example:

http://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T12Z/soaring_index:idx/switzerland:0.005,0.005/png

Leisure Indices

The leisure index combines different weather parameters and assesses if weather conditions are favorable for certain outdoor activities or not. The index ranges from 0 to 1, where 1 means that conditions are perfect for the queried activity at the queried point in time (i.e. the parameter is instantaneous).
The indices are based on a combination of precipitation, temperature, wind speed, wind gusts, humidity, sunshine duration, snow cover, visibility and fog.

leisure_<activity>:idx

Available activities: ballooning, bbq, beach, biking, climbing, fishing, gardening, gliding, hiking, hunting, sailing, skiing, tv

Examples:

Create a time series of the leisure index for hiking on Säntis:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00Z--2023-09-24T00:00:00Z:PT1H/leisure_hiking:idx/47.250920,9.362451/html
Create a time series of the leisure index for skiing in Davos:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00Z--2023-09-24T00:00:00Z:PT1H/leisure_skiing:idx/46.825555,9.813910/html
Create a time series of the leisure index for going to the beach in Barcelona:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00Z--2023-09-24T00:00:00Z:PT1H/leisure_beach:idx/41.401875,2.215597/html
Create a time series of the leisure index for sailing in Nice at Côte D'Azur:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00Z--2023-09-24T00:00:00Z:PT1H/leisure_sailing:idx/43.690649,7.264658/html
Create a time series of the leisure index for having a BBQ around Zurich:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00Z--2023-09-24T00:00:00Z:PT1H/leisure_bbq:idx/47.358222,8.530424/html

Laundry Index

The laundry index describes how well laundry dries in the air. Values closer to 1 indicate that laundry will definitely dry outside, whereas values towards 0 correspond to laundry that will remain wet.

laundry_index:idx

Examples:

Time series showing the laundry index for St. Gallen from June 14-16, 2022:
Current time series:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00Z--2023-09-23T00:00:00Z:PT3H/laundry_index:idx/47.412164,9.340652/html

Cold Index

This index combines several weather parameters like temperature, wind speed, humidity and precipitation and assesses how favorable these weather conditions are for catching a cold. The index takes values from 1 to 100, where higher values indicate higher risks.

cold_index:idx

Examples:

Time series showing the cold index for St. Gallen from the 17^th of January 2019 to the 19^th of January 2019:
Current time series:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00Z--2023-09-23T00:00:00Z:PT3H/cold_index:idx/47.412164,9.340652/html

Probability for Snow Cover

Gives the probability for a location/region being covered by snow. The probability is determined by combining information about temperatures at different altitudes and precipitation predictions.

prob_snow_cover:p

Examples:

Time series showing the probability for white Christmas in Munich (queried on the 17^th of November, 2020):

Current time series for the next 7 days:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00Z--2023-09-28T00:00:00Z:PT3H/prob_snow_cover:p/48.9132327,10.5352123/html
Probability for white Christmas in Europe (queried on the 17^th of November, 2020):

Current situation:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00Z/prob_snow_cover:p/europe:0.1,0.1/html_map

Index for Windshield Icing

Gives the probability for the occurrence of windshield icing for cars. This index combines information about temperature, humidity, wind speed and other parameters and yields a probability in the range of 0-100 %. In addition, it is possible to specify an inclination between 0° (flat) and 90° (vertical) of the windshield - the default value is 50°.

prob_car_windshield_frost_<inclination>d:p

Examples:

Time series showing the probability for windshield icing in Zurich:

Current time series for the next 7 days:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00Z--2023-09-28T00:00:00Z:PT1H/prob_car_windshield_frost_80d:p/48.9132327,10.5352123/html
Probability for windshield icing in the UK:

Aerodrome Approach Index

This index gives an indication for significant weather conditions at an airport. The index yields values between 0 and 2. If the index equals 2, conditions are hostile for an aircraft to land. If the index equals 0, no dangerous weather conditions are present.

aerodrome_approach:idx

Examples:

Time series showing the evolution of the Aerodrome Approach Index at Zurich airport:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2023-09-21T00:00:00Z--2023-09-28T00:00:00Z:PT1H/aerodrome_approach:idx/47.466004,8.543693/html
Meteomatics' visualization tool MetX showing aircraft icons on a map colored according to the severity of the Aerodrome Approach Index: