jw-weather

A Node.js module for fetching weather data from multiple public APIs with a standardized interface.

Supported Weather Providers

• AccuWeather ✅
• OpenWeatherMap ✅
• WeatherBit ✅
• DarkSky ⚠️ (Deprecated - Apple shut down the API in 2023)
• Weather Underground ❌ (API deprecated)

Why Use This Module?

This module provides a standardized weather object regardless of which API you use. This approach offers several key benefits:

1. Future-proof your app - Seamlessly switch providers when APIs get deprecated (like DarkSky and Weather Underground)
2. Cost optimization - Switch providers based on pricing or feature changes
3. Increased reliability - Use multiple providers simultaneously to work around rate limits
4. Consistent interface - Same code works with any supported provider

Quick Start

Installation

npm install jw-weather

Basic Usage

const weather = require('jw-weather');

const boston = new weather.service({
    provider: 'openweathermap',
    key: 'your-api-key-here',
    latitude: 42.3601,
    longitude: -71.0589,
    celsius: false  // optional, defaults to Fahrenheit
});

// Wait for the service to be ready
boston.on('ready', async () => {
    try {
        await boston.update();
        console.log(`Current temperature: ${boston.temp}°F`);
        console.log(`Conditions: ${boston.currentCondition}`);
    } catch (error) {
        console.error('Failed to get weather:', error);
    }
});

// Handle errors
boston.on('error', (error) => {
    console.error('Weather service error:', error);
});

Configuration Options

Option	Type	Required	Description
provider	string	Yes	Weather service: 'accuweather', 'openweathermap', 'weatherbit'
key	string	Yes	API key from your chosen provider
latitude	number	Yes	Location latitude
longitude	number	Yes	Location longitude
celsius	boolean	No	Temperature unit (default: false for Fahrenheit)

Weather Object Properties

After calling update(), the following properties are available:

Current Weather

• temp - Current temperature
• feelsLike - "Feels like" temperature
• humidity - Humidity percentage (0-1)
• currentCondition - Text description of current conditions
• icon - Icon identifier from the provider
• sunrise - Sunrise time (Date object)
• sunset - Sunset time (Date object)

Metadata

• lastUpdate - When the data was last fetched locally
• forecastTime - Actual forecast time from the provider
• raw - Complete raw response from the provider

5-Day Forecast

• forecast - Array of daily forecast objects

Each forecast day includes:

• tempHigh / tempLow - High/low temperatures
• feelsLikeHigh / feelsLikeLow - "Feels like" temperatures
• humidity - Humidity (Note: AccuWeather doesn't provide this for forecasts)
• condition - Weather condition description
• icon - Weather icon identifier
• sunrise / sunset - Sun times

API Methods

update([callback])

Fetches the latest weather data from your configured provider.

// Using async/await 
try {
    await boston.update();
    console.log('Weather updated successfully');
} catch (error) {
    console.error('Update failed:', error);
}

// Using Promises
boston.update()
    .then(() => {
        console.log('Weather updated successfully');
    })
    .catch((error) => {
        console.error('Update failed:', error);
    });

// Using callback 
boston.update((error) => {
    if (error) {
        console.error('Update failed:', error);
    } else {
        console.log('Weather updated successfully');
    }
});

fullWeather()

Returns a complete weather data object with all available information.

const completeWeather = boston.fullWeather();
console.log(JSON.stringify(completeWeather, null, 2));

Complete Example

const weather = require('jw-weather');

const myLocation = new weather.service({
    provider: 'openweathermap',
    key: 'your-api-key-here',
    latitude: 40.7128,
    longitude: -74.0060,
    celsius: true
});

myLocation.on('ready', async () => {
    try {
        await myLocation.update();
        
        // Current conditions
        console.log(`Temperature: ${myLocation.temp}°C`);
        console.log(`Feels like: ${myLocation.feelsLike}°C`);
        console.log(`Humidity: ${Math.round(myLocation.humidity * 100)}%`);
        console.log(`Conditions: ${myLocation.currentCondition}`);
        
        // 5-day forecast
        console.log('\n5-Day Forecast:');
        myLocation.forecast.forEach((day, index) => {
            console.log(`Day ${index + 1}: ${day.tempHigh}°/${day.tempLow}° - ${day.condition}`);
        });
        
    } catch (error) {
        console.error('Weather update failed:', error);
    }
});

myLocation.on('error', (error) => {
    console.error('Service error:', error);
});

Getting API Keys

• OpenWeatherMap: Sign up here (free tier available)
• AccuWeather: Register here (free tier available)
• WeatherBit: Get API key here (free tier available)

Notes

• Location format: All providers use latitude/longitude coordinates for consistency, even though some support other formats natively
• Rate limits: Each provider has different rate limits - check their documentation
• Forecast accuracy: OpenWeatherMap's free tier provides 3-hour forecasts, while others provide daily forecasts

For more examples, see demo.js in this repository.