If you are running, or submitting an entry to, a hackathon, you may find yourself needing a weather API to retrieve weather data. The Visual Crossing Weather API is the perfect API for hackathons as it provides free access and rich features.
The Weather API offers hourly historical weather data, 16-day weather forecasts and future statistical weather forecasts. Developers can sign up for a free perpetual account for up to 1000 results per day.
If the hackathon qualifies, we also offer expanded free access to the API via our Ambassadors Program.
Getting started with the Weather API
We recommend our Timeline Weather API for most hackathons. The Timeline Weather API offers seamless access to past weather, current conditions and future weather forecasts. The results are generated in easy-to-consume JSON format. The response can be easily adapted to fit your needs include weather alerts, hourly data, daily normals and many other rich weather data features.
To sign up for the Timeline Weather API for free, head over to the Weather Data Services page. From this page you can create an account, view data within the browser and even construct Weather API queries dynamically and then view the JSON results in the browser.
We include many examples of how to incorporate the Weather API into code or applications. Here’s a brief list of common examples. If don’t see your language or application, search for it in the above search box.
What if i need more free data?
We are pleased to offer expanded free access to most hackathon developers beyond the generous free daily amounts for a normal account. Our Ambassadors Program will help if you need more data for your development, testing or maybe even to handle the extra load on your application for your winning entry!
Please send us the details about your hackathon and project to support to discuss your needs.
How to cite or credit the API
If you use the free weather API, please include a citation to us in your release. Here are some easy to follow guidelines on providing the citation. Also, when you sign up for the account, please mention the hackathon you are submitting – we may increase your daily limit for free!
How to offer the Weather API to all my hackathon entries?
If you are running a Hackathon, we can provide easy access to all the entries to our Weather API – sometimes without needing every user to sign up individually. For more information, please contact support and we’ll discuss your needs.
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.