Precipitation API Parameters

Precipitation (accumulated)

Gives the amount of precipitation in millimeters that has fallen during the indicated interval. Here, precipitation is the sum of liquid (rain, freezing rain), mix (sleet), and solid (hail, graupel, snow) precipitation. The total amound of preciptiation is the sum of convactive and large-scale precipitation.

precip_<interval>:mm

Available accumulation intervals: 5min, 10min, 15min, 30min, 1h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h

Note: Precipitation interval parameters are right-aligned see Appendix

Examples

Show a three-day forecast of the expected precipitation accumulation with five minute resolution.

https://api.meteomatics.com/2024-07-23T00:00:00Z--2024-07-26T00:00:00Z:PT5M/precip_5min:mm/47.412164,9.340652/html

Mean Accumulated Precipitation over the Last 10 Years

Gives the mean amount of precipitation over the last 10 years on a certain date at a specific location.

precip_<interval>_10y_mean:mm

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

Examples:

Compare the mean amount of precipitation of the last ten years with the amount of precipitation of 2022 with a resolution of 6 hour.

Current situation:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2024-07-23T12:00:00ZP100D:P2D/precip_6h_10y_mean:mm,precip_6h:mm/50,10/html

The amount of precipitation in winter compared to the 10 years mean:

validdate;precip_6h_10y_mean:mm;precip_6h:mm
2021-10-01T12:00:00Z;0.02;0.00
2021-11-01T12:00:00Z;0.79;4.39
2021-12-01T12:00:00Z;0.05;0.14
2022-01-01T12:00:00Z;0.17;0.00
2022-02-01T12:00:00Z;0.10;0.36

Current situation:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2024-07-23T12:00:00ZP4M:P1M/precip_6h_10y_mean:mm,precip_6h:mm/50,10/csv

Precipitation Type

This parameter returns an integer indicating the type of precipitation over a specified time period:

precip_type_<interval>:idx

Available accumulation intervals: 5min, 10min, 15min, 20min, 30min, 1h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h

The values correspond to the type as given in the following table:

Index	Precipitation Type
0	None
1	Rain
2	Rain and snow mixed
3	Snow
4	Sleet (US definition)
5	Freezing rain
6	Hail

Examples

A three-day forecast of the expected precipitation type on Mount Säntis:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2024-07-23T00:00:00Z--2024-07-26T00:00:00Z:PT5M/precip_type_5min:idx/47.2494,9.34363/html
Freezing rain (corresponding to red) over parts of the United States during a Nor'Easter storm on February 16th, 2021:

For visualization purposes you may query an image for the parameter

Precipitation Type Intensity

This parameter returns the type of precipitation (value before the decimal point) over a specified time period combined with the information about the intensity of the precipitation in mm (value after the decimal point). For rain up to freezing rain the intensity is limited to 9 mm. A value of 6.0 and above indicates hail, where the number after the decimal points displays the hail size in mm.

precip_type_intensity_5min:idx

For the interpretation of the parameter values please refer to the following legend. Note that the scale for the intensity is logarithmic.

Note: Please note that values above 6 indicate hail and the hail size in cm is given when you subtrack 6 from that value.

Examples

A three-days precipitation type intensity with hail in cm and precipitation in mm with 5 minutes resolution.

https://api.meteomatics.com/2021-07-24T06:45:00Z--2021-07-27T06:45:00Z:PT5M/hail_5min:cm,precip_5min:mm,precip_type_intensity_5min:idx/47.17647,8.90299/html

Areas of rain and snow across Europe in February, 2022:

Precipitation Probability

prob_precip_<interval>:p

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

Note: Please note that since this parameter is based on multiple models, it does not fulfill all mathematical requirements of a probability.

Note: Precipitation interval parameters are right-aligned see Appendix

Examples

Make a three-days precipitation probability forecast with one hour resolution.

https://api.meteomatics.com/2024-07-23T00:00:00Z--2024-07-26T00:00:00Z:PT1H/prob_precip_1h:p/47.412164,9.340652/html

https://api.meteomatics.com/2024-07-23T00:00:00Z/precip_12h:mm/47.412164,9.340652/json

{"version":"3.0","user":"api-test“,“dateGenerated":"2018-02-21T14:46:57Z","status":"OK","data": [{"parameter":"precip_12h:mm","coordinates":[{"lat":47.4122,"lon":9.34065,"dates": [{"date":"2018-02-01T00:00:00Z","value":0.92}]}]}]}

Convective Precipitation

Gives the total amount of liquid and frozen water by the convection scheme accumulated over a particular time period.

precip_convective_<interval>:mm

Available intervals: 5min, 10min, 15min, 30min, 1h, 2h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h

Note: Convective precipitation interval parameters are right-aligned see Appendix

Note: Convective precipitation is only available for individual models.

Examples:

Show a three-day forecast of the expected convective precipitation with five minute resolution.

https://api.meteomatics.com/2024-07-23T00:00:00Z--2024-07-26T00:00:00Z:PT5M/precip_covnective_5min:mm/47.412164,9.340652/html?source=ecmwf-ifs

Large-scale Precipitation

Gives the total amount of liquid and frozen water produced by cloud microphysical processes accumulated over a particular time period.

precip_large_scale_<interval>:mm

Available intervals: 5min, 10min, 15min, 30min, 1h, 2h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h

Note: Large-scale precipitation interval parameters are right-aligned see Appendix

Note: Large-scale precipitation is only available for individual models.

Examples:

Show a three-day forecast of the expected large-scale precipitation with five minute resolution.

https://api.meteomatics.com/2024-07-23T00:00:00Z--2024-07-26T00:00:00Z:PT5M/precip_large_scale_5min:mm/47.412164,9.340652/html?source=ecmwf-ifs

Cloud Liquid Water

The mass of liquid water in a cloud in a specified amount of dry air. It plays an important role in the transport of energy (latent heat) in the earth-atmosphere system.

cloud_liquid_water:kgm2

Note: Cloud Liquid Water is available for individual models.

Examples

The cloud liquid water in St. Gallen over a period of 3 days: https://api.meteomatics.com/2024-07-23T00:00:00Z--2024-07-26T00:00:00Z:PT30M/cloud_liquid_water:kgm2/47.4245,9.3767/html

A part of the corresponding csv file: https://api.meteomatics.com/2024-07-23T00:00:00Z--2024-07-26T00:00:00Z:PT30M/cloud_liquid_water:kgm2/47.4245,9.3767/csv?model=ecmwf-ifs

validdate;cloud_liquid_water:kgm2
2024-06-08T09:00:00Z;0.0
2024-06-08T10:00:00Z;0.0
2024-06-08T11:00:00Z;0.1
2024-06-08T12:00:00Z;0.0
2024-06-08T13:00:00Z;0.1
2024-06-08T14:00:00Z;0.0
2024-06-08T15:00:00Z;0.3
2024-06-08T16:00:00Z;0.1
2024-06-08T17:00:00Z;0.2
2024-06-08T18:00:00Z;0.2
2024-06-08T19:00:00Z;0.1
2024-06-08T20:00:00Z;0.0
2024-06-08T21:00:00Z;0.0
2024-06-08T22:00:00Z;0.0
2024-06-08T23:00:00Z;0.0

Hail

The API features a hail parameter describing the maximum size of the hailstones.

Occurring hail for a time interval:

hail_<interval>:cm

Available intervals: 10min, 20min, 30min, 1h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h

Examples

Time series of hail and precipitation during series of thunderstorms in late June, 2021: Current:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2024-07-22T00:00:00Z--2024-07-23T00:00:00Z:PT15M/hail_10min:cm,precip_10min:mm/48.38988,9.01763/html
Spatial view of the same series of thunderstorms: Current:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2024-07-23T00:00:00Z/hail_1h:cm/48.84106,6.67225_46.21383,9.96186:0.005,0.005/html_map

The API also provides well known text formats as e.g. XML. These facilitate the simple integration of hail warnings into your web application, warning system or smart city setup:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2024-07-22T00:00:00Z--2024-07-23T00:00:00Z:PT5M/hail:cm/47.4065777,9.1768305/xml

Response:

<meteomatics-api-response version="3.0">
<user>meteomatics-admin</user>
<dateGenerated>2018-06-06T19:02:48Z</dateGenerated>
<status>OK</status>
<data>
<parameter name="hail:cm">
<location lat="47.4066" lon="9.17683">
<value date="2018-05-31T16:00:00Z">0.00000</value>
<value date="2018-05-31T16:05:00Z">0.00000</value>
<value date="2018-05-31T16:10:00Z">1.00000</value>
<value date="2018-05-31T16:15:00Z">5.00000</value>
<value date="2018-05-31T16:20:00Z">5.00000</value>
<value date="2018-05-31T16:25:00Z">5.00000</value>
<value date="2018-05-31T16:30:00Z">0.00000</value>
<value date="2018-05-31T16:35:00Z">0.00000</value>
<value date="2018-05-31T16:40:00Z">0.00000</value>
<value date="2018-05-31T16:45:00Z">0.00000</value>
<value date="2018-05-31T16:50:00Z">0.00000</value>
<value date="2018-05-31T16:55:00Z">0.00000</value>
<value date="2018-05-31T17:00:00Z">0.00000</value>
</location>
</parameter>
</data>
</meteomatics-api-response>

Freezing Rain

Freezing rain occurs when raindrops freeze on contact with the surface. This leads to a coating of ice on everything that the raindrops contact. Thus, freezing rain can be dangerous e.g. for motorists as the ice can create slick spots on roadways. Furthermore, the ice formed by freezing rain can cause tree branches and power lines to break leading to damage and/or power outages.

freezing_rain_1h:idx

The parameter goes from 0 (no freezing rain) to 1 (freezing rain).

Example

A timeseries of freezing rain from 2022/12/08 to 2022/12/10:

Current situation:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2024-07-23T00:00:00Z--2024-07-25T00:00:00Z:PT15M/freezing_rain_1h:idx/47.4245,9.3767/html?model=mix

Supercooled Liquid Water

Supercooled liquid water refers to water droplets that remain liquid below their normal freezing point. While this parameter describes the vertically integrated supercooled liquid water content, our API also offers bottom/top altitudes (in meters) where supercooled liquid water is present. If no supercooled liquid water is present, bottom/top altitudes are not defined.

super_cooled_liquid_water:kgm2 
super_cooled_liquid_water_layer_bottom:m 
super_cooled_liquid_water_layer_top:m

Examples

The supercooled liquid water content from 2021/11/23 to 2021/11/26:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2024-07-23T00:00:00Z--2024-07-26T00:00:00Z:PT1H/super_cooled_liquid_water:kgm2/47.4245,9.3767/html?model=mix
The corresponding supercooled liquid water bottom/top altitudes from 2021/11/23 to 2021/11/26:
https://api.meteomatics.com/2024-07-23T00:00:00Z--2024-07-26T00:00:00Z:PT1H/super_cooled_liquid_water_layer_bottom:m,super_cooled_liquid_water_layer_top:m/47.4245,9.3767/html?model=mix

Rainfall

Check if there was any rain within the last 30 minutes or last hour. 0: no rain, 1: rain event

is_rain_<interval>:idx

Available intervals: 30min, 1h

Examples

Show if there is rain in the next two days along with the temperature and expected amount of precipitation within 30 minutes: https://api.meteomatics.com/2024-07-23T00:00:00Z--2024-07-26T00:00:00Z:PT30M/is_rain_30min:idx,t_2m:C,precip_30min:mm/47.412164,9.340652/html

A part of the corresponding csv file: https://api.meteomatics.com/2024-07-23T00:00:00Z--2024-07-26T00:00:00Z:PT30M/is_rain_30min:idx,t_2m:C,precip_30min:mm/47.412164,9.340652/csv

validdate;is_rain_30min:idx;t_2m:C;precip_30min:mm
 2017-03-08T12:00:00Z;0;8.3;0.02
 2017-03-08T12:30:00Z;1;8.3;0.04
 2017-03-08T13:00:00Z;0;8.3;0.02
 2017-03-08T13:30:00Z;1;8.2;0.21
 2017-03-08T14:00:00Z;1;8.2;0.23
 2017-03-08T14:30:00Z;1;6.7;0.42
 2017-03-08T15:00:00Z;1;5.3;0.64
 2017-03-08T15:30:00Z;1;4.8;0.6
 2017-03-08T16:00:00Z;1;4.3;0.88
 2017-03-08T16:30:00Z;1;4.9;0.56

Snowfall

Check if there was any snowfall within the last hour or last 30 minutes. 0: no snowfall, 1: snowfall event

is_snow_<interval>:idx

Available intervals: 30min, 1h

Example

Show if there is any snow expected in the next four days. The temperature and precipitation are also shown for this period as the snow event depends on them: https://api.meteomatics.com/2024-07-23T00:00:00Z--2024-07-26T00:00:00Z:PT1H/is_snow_1h:idx,t_2m:C,precip_1h:mm/47.412164,9.340652/html

Sleet

Check if there was any sleet within the last hour or last 30 minutes. 0: no sleet, 1: sleet event

is_sleet_<interval>:idx

Available intervals: 30min, 1h

Example

Show if there is any sleet expected during the next four days. The expected temperature and precipitation are also shown on the same plot as these parameters depend on each other: https://api.meteomatics.com/2024-07-23T00:00:00Z--2024-07-26T00:00:00Z:PT1H/is_sleet_1h:idx,t_2m:C,precip_1h:mm/47.412164,9.340652/html