The bulk weather alerts API endpoint allows authorized users to retrieve all the active weather alerts for a region or area.
Please note: The Bulk Weather Alerts API is currently in testing and open to invited users only. If you would like to be considered for this testing, please send the details of your use case to sales@visualcrossing.com.
During the testing phase of the Weather Alerts API, the parameters, response format, and response information may change.
API Request Format
All weather alerts API requests follow the same form:
https://weather.visualcrossing.com/VisualCrossingWebServices/rest/services/alerts?&key=YOUR_API_KEY&feedid=us&alertlevel=detail&severity=severe&updatedWithin=10&lang=en
API Response Format
The response is a JSON-based array of Weather Alerts using the same format alert format found in the Timeline Weather API.
[
{
"event": "Severe Weather Statement",
"headline": "Severe Weather Statement issued May 16 at 1:27PM EDT until May 16 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Louisville",
"ends": "2023-05-17T00:00:00",
"endsEpoch": 1684281600,
"onset": "2023-05-16T16:30:00",
"onsetEpoch": 1684254600,
"id": "NOAA-NWS-ALERTS-KY126648BAE79C.SevereWeatherStatement.126648C78740KY.LMKSVSLMK.cab78d56fa5e2a91f8b346ce5f09be91",
"language": "en",
"link": "https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=KY126648BAE79C.SevereWeatherStatement.126648C78740KY.LMKSVSLMK.cab78d56fa5e2a91f8b346ce5f09be91",
"description": "...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN HART...\nSOUTHEASTERN GRAYSON AND NORTHEASTERN EDMONSON COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE\nAT 1230 PM CDT...\nThe storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe\nlimits, and no longer poses an immediate threat to life or property.\nTherefore, the warning will be allowed to expire. However gusty\nwinds and heavy rain are still possible with this thunderstorm.\nA Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 700 PM CDT for\nsouth central and central Kentucky."
},
{
"event": "Tornado Warning",
"headline": "Tornado Warning issued May 16 at 1:27PM EDT until May 16 at 2:15PM EDT by NWS Louisville",
"ends": "2023-05-16T18:15:00",
"endsEpoch": 1684260900,
"onset": "2023-05-16T17:27:00",
"onsetEpoch": 1684258020,
"id": "NOAA-NWS-ALERTS-KY126648BAE79C.TornadoWarning.126648BB09FCKY.LMKTORLMK.61b23494ad7680f1d9cc078cd65059e0",
"language": "en",
"link": "https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=KY126648BAE79C.TornadoWarning.126648BB09FCKY.LMKTORLMK.61b23494ad7680f1d9cc078cd65059e0",
"description": "The National Weather Service in Louisville has issued a\n* Tornado Warning for...\nCentral Nelson County in central Kentucky...\nNorth central Larue County in central Kentucky...\nNorthwestern Marion County in central Kentucky...\nSouthwestern Washington County in central Kentucky...\n* Until 215 PM EDT.\n* At 127 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado\nwas located 8 miles north of Hodgenville, moving east at 35 mph.\nHAZARD...Tornado.\nSOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.\nIMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without\nshelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed.\nDamage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree\ndamage is likely.\n* Locations impacted include...\nNew Haven, Loretto, Lyons, Saint Francis, Burkes Spring,\nGethsemane, Dant, Blue Gap, Booker and Nerinx.\nTORNADO...RADAR INDICATED\nMAX HAIL SIZE...<.75 IN"
},
...
]
Bulk Weather Alerts API Parameters
key (required) – your API key. Sign up for a free account using our Weather Data Services page or access your existing key on your account page.
feedid (required) – a comma separate list of feed IDs. Feed IDs correspond to the organization issuing the Weather Alerts. The currently available feed ids include:
| at | Austria |
| ba | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| be | Belgium |
| bu | Bulgaria |
| ca | Canada |
| ch | Switzerland |
| cy | Cyprus |
| cz | Czech Republic |
| de | Germany |
| dk | Denmark |
| ee | Estonia |
| ei | Ireland |
| es | Spain |
| fi | Finland |
| fr | France |
| gr | Greece |
| hr | Croatia |
| hu | Hungary |
| il | Israel |
| is | Iceland |
| it | Italy |
| lt | Lithuania |
| lu | Luxemburg |
| lv | Latvia |
| md | Moldova (the Republic of) |
| me | Montenegro |
| mk | Republic of North Macedonia |
| mt | Malta |
| nl | Netherlands |
| no | Norway |
| pl | Poland |
| pt | Portugal |
| ro | Romania |
| rs | Serbia |
| se | Sweden |
| si | Slovenia |
| sk | Slovakia |
| uk | United Kingdom |
| us | United Stated |
alertLevel (optional) – the level of detail in the response data. Available values are summary, detail (the default), and extended. Note that data elements in the ‘extended’ format are subject to change during the testing phase.
severity (optional) – The minimum severity level to be returned by the request. The possible values are: extreme, severe, moderate, and minor. Any alert with an unknown severity is considered to be of severity minor. By default, all alert severities are included.
updatedWithin (optional) – Returns alerts that have been issued or updated in the passed N minutes.
lang (optional) – Sets the language of the translatable parts of the output such as the conditions field. See the documentation for the Timeline Weather API for more information.
geocodes (optional) – a comma separate list of location geocodes. For example, to request all alerts for National Weather Service UGC code UGC:CAC043, the parameter would be passed as &geocodes=UGC:CAC043.
Note that if an issued alert only includes a specified geometry and does not include geocode values, we will not match the requested geocode value.
Supported types include:
| EMMA_ID | European Multi service Meteorological Awareness from EU Met Net. |
| FIPS | United States FIPS code |
| UGC | United States UGC code |
| WARNCELLID | DWD (Germany) warning cell ID. |
Bulk Weather API Examples
Retrieve all active alerts for the US and Canadian feeds:
https://weather.visualcrossing.com/VisualCrossingWebServices/rest/services/alerts?&key=YOUR_API_KEY&feedid=us,ca
Retrieve all the alerts for the UGC region in the US feed:
https://weather.visualcrossing.com/VisualCrossingWebServices/rest/services/alerts?&key=YOUR_API_KEY&feedid=us&lang=en&geocodes=UGC:CAC043
Retrieves all alerts from the Germany feeds that are either severity of ‘severe’ or higher than have been created or updated in the past 10 minutes. Where possible return the German language version:
https://weather.visualcrossing.com/VisualCrossingWebServices/rest/services/alerts?&key=YOUR_API_KEY&feedid=de&alertlevel=extended&severity=severe&updatedWithin=10&lang=de
Questions or need help?
If you have a question or need help, please post on our actively monitored forum for the fastest replies. You can also contact us via our support site or drop us an email at support@visualcrossing.com.