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Get Forecast for a Location

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

Returns the seven-day forecast (day & night periods) for thfor exampleid 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

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

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 ]]]
  }
}
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)

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

  • Hourly forecasts: Use /points/{lat},{lon}/forecast/hourly for 48-hour hourly periods

Need an in-depth explanation on how the NWS API uses gridpoints? Gridpoints Explained.

👉Next: Endpoints: Grid Points →