OpenWeatherMap Weather Skill#

Setup#

Get your free API key from: https://home.openweathermap.org/api_keys

Store your API key securely (the skill checks these in order):

1. Environment variable $OPENWEATHERMAP_API_KEY
2. File ~/.openweathermap (should contain just the API key, one line)
3. Ask the user for their API key

Current Weather API#

By City Name#

text

GET https://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/weather?q={city},{country_code}&appid={API_KEY}&units={units}

By Coordinates#

text

GET https://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/weather?lat={lat}&lon={lon}&appid={API_KEY}&units={units}

Parameters#

ParameterRequiredDescriptionappidYesYour OpenWeatherMap API keyqYes*City name, state code, country code (e.g., "London,UK" or "Stamford,CT,US")latYes*LatitudelonYes*LongitudeunitsNometric, imperial, or standard. Default: standardlangNoLanguage code for description (e.g., en, es, fr, de)

Units:

• metric = Celsius, m/s, hPa
• imperial = Fahrenheit, mph, hPa (use for US locations)
• standard = Kelvin, m/s, hPa

Location Tips for US:

• Use state abbreviation: Stamford,CT,US or full name Stamford,Connecticut,US
• The API often requires country code for US cities

Example API Calls#

London (Metric - Celsius)#

bash

curl "https://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/weather?q=London,UK&appid=YOUR_API_KEY&units=metric"

Stamford CT (Imperial - Fahrenheit)#

bash

curl "https://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/weather?q=Stamford,CT,US&appid=YOUR_API_KEY&units=imperial"

By Coordinates#

bash

curl "https://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/weather?lat=41.05&lon=-73.54&appid=YOUR_API_KEY&units=imperial"

Response Fields#

• main.temp - Temperature (Celsius/Fahrenheit/Kelvin based on units)
• main.feels_like - Perceived temperature
• main.humidity - Humidity %
• main.pressure - Atmospheric pressure (hPa)
• wind.speed - Wind speed (m/s or mph based on units)
• wind.deg - Wind direction (degrees)
• wind.gust - Wind gusts (if available)
• clouds.all - Cloudiness %
• weather[0].main - Weather condition (Rain, Snow, Clouds, Clear, etc.)
• weather[0].description - Detailed description
• visibility - Visibility in meters
• sys.sunrise / sys.sunset - Unix timestamps
• name - Location name
• timezone - Shift from UTC in seconds

Displaying Weather to User#

Use imperial units (Fahrenheit, mph) for US users:

• Fahrenheit reads naturally to Americans
• Wind speed in mph is the US standard
• Convert pressure from hPa to inHg: 1 inHg = 33.86 hPa

24-hour time: Convert Unix timestamps to 24-hour format (e.g., 18:45 instead of 6:45 PM)

Example formatting:

text

🌡️ Temp: 45°F (feels like 40°F)
💧 Humidity: 65%
💨 Wind: 12 mph NW
🌅 Sunrise: 06:32
🌇 Sunset: 18:45

Forecast API (5 Day / 3 Hour)#

text

GET https://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/forecast?q={city}&appid={API_KEY}&units=imperial

Returns forecast data in 3-hour intervals for 5 days.

API Limits#

• Free tier: 60 calls/minute, 1,000,000 calls/month
• One Call API 3.0 (hourly/daily/minutely forecasts + alerts): requires paid subscription