Forecasts

Get Forecast for a Location

`GET /points/{lat},{lon}/forecast`

Returns the seven-day forecast (day & night periods) for the grid cell covering a latitude/longitude in the U.S. Use this endpoint when you have a point and want the official NWS text-based forecast without converting the point to grid coordinates. The points endpoint resolves your lat/lon to the correct 2.5 km NWS forecast grid and local forecast office behind the scenes.

HTTP request

GET https://api.weather.gov/points/{latitude},{longitude}/forecast

Headers & Auth

User-Agent (required): A string identifying your app and contact (for example, MyWeatherApp/1.0 (me@myweatherapp.com).

Accept (recommended): application/geo+json

Authorization: Not required.

Path Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Constraints	Example
`latitude`	number	Yes	Decimal degrees (WGS84), −90…90	`43.1610`
`longitude`	number	Yes	Decimal degrees (WGS84), −180…180	`-77.6109`

Example Request (cURL)

curl -H "User-Agent: your-email@example.com" 
  https://api.weather.gov/points/38.8894,-77.0352

Example Response

??? example "Sample Response"

{
  "properties": {
    "forecast": "https://api.weather.gov/gridpoints/LWX/96,70/forecast",
    "forecastHourly": "https://api.weather.gov/gridpoints/LWX/96,70/forecast/hourly",
    "forecastGridData": "https://api.weather.gov/gridpoints/LWX/96,70",
    "observationStations": "https://api.weather.gov/gridpoints/LWX/96,70/stations",
    "relativeLocation": {
      "properties": {
        "city": "Washington",
        "state": "DC"
      }
    }
  }
}

Example Request (JavaScript)

async function getForecast(lat, lon) {
  const url = `https://api.weather.gov/points/${lat},${lon}/forecast`;
  const res = await fetch(url, {
    headers: {
      "User-Agent": "MyWeatherApp/1.0 (me@example.com)",
      "Accept": "application/geo+json"
    }
  });
  if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`NWS error ${res.status}`);
  return res.json();
}

getForecast(43.1610, -77.6109).then(data => {
  // typical usage: render data.properties.periods
  console.log(data.properties.periods.map(p => `${p.name}: ${p.temperature}°${p.temperatureUnit} ${p.shortForecast}`));
});

Example Responses

??? example "Sample Response - Forecast"

{
  "type": "Feature",
  "properties": {
    "updated": "2025-03-15T14:02:00-04:00",
    "units": "us",
    "forecastGenerator": "BaselineForecastGenerator",
    "generatedAt": "2025-03-15T14:05:12-04:00",
    "updateTime": "2025-03-15T14:02:00-04:00",
    "validTimes": "2025-03-15T14:00:00+00:00/P7DT",
    "elevation": { "unitCode": "wmoUnit:m", "value": 154.0 },
    "periods": [
  {
    "number": 1,
    "name": "This Afternoon",
    "startTime": "2025-03-15T14:00:00-04:00",
    "endTime": "2025-03-15T18:00:00-04:00",
    "isDaytime": true,
    "temperature": 46,
    "temperatureUnit": "F",
    "temperatureTrend": null,
    "windSpeed": "10 to 15 mph",
    "windDirection": "NW",
    "shortForecast": "Partly Sunny",
    "detailedForecast": "Partly sunny. High near 46. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph."
  },
  {
    "number": 2,
    "name": "Tonight",
    "startTime": "2025-03-15T18:00:00-04:00",
    "endTime": "2025-03-16T06:00:00-04:00",
    "isDaytime": false,
    "temperature": 32,
    "temperatureUnit": "F",
    "temperatureTrend": null,
    "windSpeed": "5 to 10 mph",
    "windDirection": "NW",
    "shortForecast": "Mostly Clear",
    "detailedForecast": "Mostly clear, with a low around 32. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph."
  }
]
  },
  "geometry": {
    "type": "Polygon",
    "coordinates": [[[ -77.63,43.15 ],[ -77.58,43.15 ],[ -77.58,43.18 ],[ -77.63,43.18 ],[ -77.63,43.15 ]]]
  }
}

??? example "400 Bad Request - Coordinates"

{
  "title": "Bad Request",
  "type": "https://api.weather.gov/problems/InvalidParameter",
  "detail": "Invalid 'point' parameter. Expected 'lat,lon'.",
  "correlationId": "c6e1f8a4-7b77-4b1f-9a7a-0c0f0ea1f9a1"
}

Response fields for all queries (abbreviated list)

??? details "Extended field reference | Field | --------------------------------- | type | geometry | properties.updated | properties.units | properties.updateTime | properties.validTimes | properties.elevation | properties.periods | periods[].name | periods[].startTime | periods[].isDaytime | periods[].temperature | periods[].temperatureUnit | periods[].temperatureTrend | periods[].windSpeed | periods[].windDirection | periods[].shortForecast | periods[].detailedForecast (selected)" | Type | Description | | -------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | | string | Always Feature for this endpoint. | | GeoJSON geometry | null | Polygon for thfor exampleid cell (often present). | | string (ISO 8601) | Timestamp the forecast text was last updated. | | string | Unit system (us commonly used). | | string (ISO 8601) | Synced update timestamp. | | string (ISO 8601 interval) | Range/time-step for which periods are valid. | | object | Elevation of forecast grid (meters, WMO unit code). | | array | Ordered list of day/night forecast periods. | | string | Label like Today, Tonight, Monday. | / endTime | string (ISO 8601) | Start/end of that period. | | boolean | true for daytime periods. | | number | Forecast temperature. | | string | F or C (textual unit indicator). | | string | null | Trend hint (for example, rising, falling) or null. | | string | Human-readable wind speed (for example, 10 to 15 mph). | | string | Compass direction (for example, NW). | | string | Brief phrase (for example, Partly Sunny). | | string | Full text for the period. |

Common Status Codes

Code	Meaning	Corrective action
200	OK	—
400	Bad Request	Verify `latitude,longitude` format and numeric ranges.
404	Not Found	Coordinates outside NWS coverage (rare) or service down; try nearby point.
429	Too Many Requests	Back off; respect cache headers and reduce request rate.
500	Server Error	Retry with exponential backoff.

➡️ See HTTP Status Codes for a full reference.

Notes

Start with /points: It’s the supported way to map a lat/lon to the right grid and forecast office. The same route also advertises related URLs (for example, hourly forecast).
Grid resolution: Forecasts are issued on a 2.5 km grid by local offices; neighboring points can have wildly different forecasts.
Hourly forecasts: Use /points/{lat},{lon}/forecast/hourly for 48-hour hourly periods

Next: Endpoints: Grid Points →