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🌧️ Precipitation data API

This API provides access to precipitation observation data (at 10-minute intervals) using the RADOLAN "RW" product. You can query by coordinates, zip code, or city name and retrieve data in JSON, CSV, or HTML formats.

🔗 Base URL

https://api.alitiq.com/weather/precipitation

🧾 Description

This API returns a short-term precipitation forecast at 10-minute intervals for a specified location and date range. Internally, it fetches hourly precipitation data from RADOLAN and derives instant 10-minute precipitation sums by differencing.

  • Data unit: millimeters (mm) precipitation per 10-minute interval
  • Coverage: entire Germany, based on the RADOLAN grid provided by the German Weather Service (DWD)

📥 Query Parameters

Parameter Type Required Description
latitude float Optional Latitude of the location
longitude float Optional Longitude of the location
zip_code string Optional ZIP code for location-based geocoding
city_name string Optional City name for location-based geocoding
start_date string Optional Start date (YYYY-MM-DD) or datetime (YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM)
end_date string Optional End date (YYYY-MM-DD) or datetime (YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM)
response_format string Optional Format of response: json, csv, or html

Note

⚠: If latitude and longitude are not provided, you must provide either zip_code or city_name. They are available for Germany at the moment

🌍 Data Details

  • Spatial coverage: Germany, following the official RADOLAN radar grid (provided by DWD)
  • Temporal resolution: 10-minute intervals
  • Value: precipitation sum over each 10-minute period, measured in millimeters (mm)

🧪 Example Requests

Example 1: Using Coordinates

import requests

url = "https://api.alitiq.com/weather/precipitation"

params = {
    "latitude": 52.52,
    "longitude": 13.405,
    "start_date": "2024-05-01T00:00",
    "end_date": "2024-05-01T03:00",
    "response_format": "json"
}

response = requests.get(url, params=params)

print(response.text)

curl --request GET \
--url 'https://api.alitiq.com/weather/precipitation?latitude=52.52&longitude=13.405&start_date=2024-05-01T00:00&end_date=2024-05-01T03:00&response_format=json'

GET https://api.alitiq.com/weather/precipitation?latitude=52.52&longitude=13.405&start_date=2024-05-01T00:00&end_date=2024-05-01T03:00&response_format=json
GET https://api.alitiq.com/weather/precipitation?zip_code=10115&start_date=2024-05-01&end_date=2024-05-01&response_format=csv
GET https://api.alitiq.com/weather/precipitation?city_name=Berlin&response_format=html

🧾 Response Formats

  • JSON → Structured time series of 10-minute precipitation sums.
  • CSV → Downloadable table for further data analysis.
  • HTML → Visual plot showing precipitation over time.

⚠️ Important Notes

  • The system converts hourly RADOLAN sums into 10-minute precipitation sums by differencing.
  • The most recent data has a ~30-minute delay due to radar processing.
  • The RADOLAN grid provides high-resolution, radar-based precipitation data over Germany.

🔒 Authentication

Currently, the endpoint returns:

  • 401 Unauthorized → if coordinates or response format are invalid.

No user token or API key is required unless integrated separately.