Weather Warnings

All weather warning parameters are inspired by the descriptions of the DWD.

Frost Warning | Heavy Rain Warning | Incessant Rain Warning | Snow Warning | Wind Warning | Fog Warning | Thunderstorm Warning | Satellite-based Thunderstorm Warning

Frost Warning

The frost parameter depicts whether the temperature at a height of 2 meters falls below 0 degrees Celsius.

The frost warning corresponds to the US freezing warning, which is issued when surface temperatures are expected to drop below freezing (32 degrees Fahrenheit). The US frost definition corresponds to the definition of ground frost, which describes the formation of thin ice crystals on the ground or other surfaces when the temperatures of the Earth's surface falls below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

frost_warning_<interval>:idx

Available intervals: 1h, 2h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h

WarningDescriptionTemperature Limits
0No frost> 0°C
1Frost≤ 0°C and > -10°C
2Severe Frost≤ -10°C

Example:

Heavy Rain Warning

This parameter indicates if any heavy rain events will occur in a given time interval.

heavy_rain_warning_<interval>:idx

Available intervals: 1h, 2h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h

WarningDescriptionLimits for 1hLimits for 6h
0No severe rainfall< 15mm< 20mm
1Heavy Rainfall15mm to 25mm20 mm to 35mm
2Severe Heavy Rainfall25mm to 40mm35 mm to 60mm
3Extreme Heavy Rainfall> 40mm> 60mm

Example:

Incessant Rain Warning

This parameter indicates if any incessant rain events will occur in a given time interval. A rain event is defined incessant if it lasts for at least 60 minutes.

incessant_rain_warning_<interval>:idx

Available intervals: 12h, 24h, 48h, 72h

WarningDescriptionLimits for 12hLimits for 24hLimits for 48hLimits for 72h
0No incessant rainfall< 25mm< 30mm< 40mm< 60mm
1Incessant Rainfall25mm to 40mm30mm to 50mm40mm to 60mm60mm to 90mm
2Severe Incessant Rainfall40mm to 70mm50mm to 80mm60mm to 90mm90mm to 120mm
3Extreme Incessant Rainfall> 70mm> 80mm> 90mm> 120mm

Example:

Snow Warning

This parameter indicates if any severe snow fall will occur in a given time interval.

snow_warning_<interval>:idx

Available intervals: 1h, 2h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h, 48h

WarningDescriptionLimits for 1hLimits for 6hLimits for 12hLimits for 24hLimits for 48h
0No severe snowfall< 1cm
1Snowfall< 1cm< 5cm< 10cm< 15cm< 20cm
2Snowfallbelow 800m: 1cm to 2cm
above 800m: 1cm to 4cm
below 800m: 5cm to 10cm
above 800m: 5cm to 20cm
below 800m: 10cm to 15cm
above 800m: 10cm to 30cm
below 800m: 15cm to 30cm
above 800m: 15cm to 40cm
20cm to 50cm
3Heavy Snowfallbelow 800m: 2cm to 4cm
above 800m: 4cm to 6cm
below 800m: 10cm to 20cm
above 800m: 20cm to 30cm
below 800m: 15cm to 25cm
above 800m: 30cm to 50cm
below 800m: 30cm to 40cm
above 800m: 40cm to 60cm
50cm to 70cm
4Extreme Heavy Snowfallbelow 800m: > 4cm
above 800m: > 6cm
below 800m: > 20cm
above 800m: > 30cm
below 800m: > 25cm
above 800m: > 50cm
below 800m: > 40cm
above 800m: > 60cm
> 70cm

Example:

Wind Warning

This parameter indicates if any dangerous wind speeds will occur in a given time interval. Wind speeds are considered dangerous if they exceed 50 km/h.

wind_warning_<interval>:idx

Available intervals: 1h, 2h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h

WarningDescriptionLimits
0No severe wind conditions< 50km/h
1Wind Gusts50km/h to 64km/h
2Squall65km/h to 89km/h
3Severe Squall90km/h to 104km/h
4Violent squall105km/h to 119km/h
5Gale-Force Winds120km/h to 139km/h
6Extreme Gale-Force Winds> 140km/h

Example:

Fog Warning

This parameter indicates if any fog will occur in an interval of one hour.

fog_warning_1h:idx
WarningDescriptionCriteria
0No fog
1FogThe visibility has been less than 150 m in the past hour

Example:

Example:
  • Fog warning for Northern Europe on the 7th of March, 2024 plotted with MetX.
    Fog warning metx

Thunderstorm Warning

This parameter indicates if any thunderstorms will occur in a given time interval.

tstorm_warning_<interval>:idx

Available intervals: 1h, 2h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h

WarningDescriptionCriteria
0No thunderstorms
1ThunderstormOccurrence of electric discharge
2Heavy thunderstormOccurrence of electric discharge in combination with strong gale, heavy rain or hail
3Severe thunderstormOccurrence of electric discharge in combination with strong gale, heavy rain or hail where at least on accompanying feature has warning level
4Severe thunderstorm with extreme squalls and heavy rainfallOccurrence of electric discharge in combination with strong gale, heavy rain or hail where at least on accompanying feature has alerting level

Example:

Satellite-based Thunderstorm Warning

Satellite-based parameter for detection of thunderstorms. The index provides values between 0 and 3:

sat_storm_warning:idx
ValueMeaning
0No storm cells present
1Storm cells present
2Heavy thunderstorms
3Severe thunderstorms

Example: