I'm building a weather app for iOS and want to send alerts like "Rain expected at 4:40 PM. Stopping around 5:15 PM." I'm in search of an affordable weather API that can provide accurate precipitation forecasting for the next 3 hours in 5-minute intervals. Although I'm mainly focusing on European countries, it would be great if the API had global coverage. So far, I've checked these options:
- **Apple WeatherKit**: Provides 5-minute data but is limited to the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and Japan.
- **Open-Meteo**: Available globally but works in 15-minute intervals only.
- **Tomorrow.io**: Offers 5-minute intervals, but I've had accuracy issues in Switzerland, and the pricing isn't clear.
- **OpenWeatherMap**: Gives 5-minute forecasts, but just for the next hour, and there's been some criticism about its accuracy.
Does anyone have any other API recommendations for 5-minute precipitation forecasts? I'm also curious about people's experiences with the reliability of these short-term forecasts!
1 Answer
Honestly, the more precise you want your forecasts to be, the less reliable they typically end up being. It's a tricky balance since weather is so chaotic. I’d suggest starting with a global API, and once you have a solid user base—like 10 or more—then evaluate if you need to switch.
I used a Dutch app while living in the Netherlands, and they had pretty accurate rain predictions at 5-minute intervals. It seems possible, depending on the quality of the forecasting agencies. Plus, the Dutch data is available for free through the KNMI API!