Open-Meteo forecast API
Near-live air temperature and multi-depth soil temperature, globally, via a free non-commercial API. Updated roughly hourly, low-latency, no API key for non-commercial use.
What this is
Open-Meteo aggregates national weather service models (NOAA GFS, DWD, ECMWF open-access, and others) into a clean REST API for air temperature and soil temperature at multiple depths. UFFDA uses the current block for the map pill: temperature_2m (near-live air temp) and soil_temperature_0cm / soil_temperature_6cm for the near-surface soil readout. UFFDA fetches Open-Meteo's current block directly from the browser (no key, CORS-open), so calls are spread across visitors and stay comfortably within the free-tier limits — no server-side proxy or caching layer. License note: Open-Meteo data is CC-BY 4.0. API access on the free tier is for non-commercial use only — defined as apps/sites with no subscriptions or advertising. UFFDA free, ad-free, public-good posture satisfies this. If UFFDA ever adds a paid tier or advertising, this source must be re-evaluated against Open-Meteo paid plans. No API key required for the free tier.
Why we surface it
NASA POWER (already in the catalog) is the right tool for 14-day agroclimatology context — daily grain, 1981-to-present record. Open-Meteo is the right tool for the map pill — near-live current temperature and real multi-depth soil temp that tracks the day curve. Each does what the other cannot.
What you can do with it
Shown for commercial use. Personal, research, and nonprofit use is often more permissive — switch the verdict lens on the catalog.
- Internal / individual use
- Custom or restrictive terms — we can't auto-decode this one. Read the source agreement before using, especially for commercial use, AI training, and redistribution. When in doubt, ask the provider.
- Redistribute the data
- Custom or restrictive terms — we can't auto-decode this one. Read the source agreement before using, especially for commercial use, AI training, and redistribution. When in doubt, ask the provider.
- Republish a derivative
- Custom or restrictive terms — we can't auto-decode this one. Read the source agreement before using, especially for commercial use, AI training, and redistribution. When in doubt, ask the provider.
- Build into a private product
- Custom or restrictive terms — we can't auto-decode this one. Read the source agreement before using, especially for commercial use, AI training, and redistribution. When in doubt, ask the provider.
This decoder is a starting point, not legal advice. For commercial deployment, run the actual license terms past someone who reads them for a living.
Good to know
Attribution required next to any displayed data: Weather data by Open-Meteo.com linking to https://open-meteo.com/. Display inline with the pill — not only on the /sources page. Rate limits: less than 10,000 calls/day, 5,000/hour, 600/minute per IP; the direct-from-browser fetch spreads calls across visitors, so normal UFFDA traffic stays well within this. Commercial API access requires a paid plan (not applicable today; revisit if monetization is ever added). Data license CC BY 4.0: https://open-meteo.com/en/licence. API ToS: https://open-meteo.com/en/terms.
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