API Explorer

Every endpoint on api.weather.gov, grouped and explained for people who don’t already speak NWS — what it returns, who wants it, and a worked example you can run.

Built from the live OpenAPI spec (version 3.11.0) on 2026-08-22. New here? Start with how it thinks.

69 endpoints shown

Icons, Imagery & Extras

Supporting pieces: weather icons, satellite thumbnails and the official NWS glossary.

GET https://api.weather.gov/glossary

The official NWS glossary — hundreds of terms defined by the agency itself. If you want to know exactly what NWS means by “severe thunderstorm” or “virga”, this is the authoritative answer.

Students, writers, and anyone decoding a forecast discussion.

Worked example

https://api.weather.gov/glossary

One large response — the whole glossary arrives at once, with no paging and no way to ask for a single term.

Open on api.weather.gov

cURL

curl "https://api.weather.gov/glossary" \
  -H "User-Agent: (myweatherapp.example.com, me@example.com)"

GET https://api.weather.gov/icons

The list of weather icon codes and what each one depicts — the legend you need to map forecast conditions to imagery.

Developers building an icon legend.

Worked example

https://api.weather.gov/icons

Open on api.weather.gov

cURL

curl "https://api.weather.gov/icons" \
  -H "User-Agent: (myweatherapp.example.com, me@example.com)"

GET https://api.weather.gov/icons/{set}/{timeOfDay}/{first}

The weather icons NWS uses in its own forecasts, generated on demand for a given condition and time of day. Being deprecated, but still widely used.

Developers who want their forecast display to match the official one.

GET https://api.weather.gov/icons/{set}/{timeOfDay}/{first}/{second}

An icon representing two conditions at once — for a period that starts rainy and ends snowy, say.

Developers rendering forecast periods.

GET https://api.weather.gov/thumbnails/satellite/{area}

Small satellite preview images for a region — thumbnails rather than full-resolution imagery, meant for quick display.

Anyone building a lightweight satellite view.