Global Weather Data User Guide

Global Weather Data (https://global-weather-data.com/) is a platform that provides global weather forecasts and historical weather data, offering tools for searching, visualizing, and downloading information. Designed to be as user-friendly as possible, the platform enables users worldwide to access the weather data they need. Users can search for any inhabited location globally—using a place name, ID, or geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude)—to retrieve relevant weather forecasts and historical data. Data can be downloaded directly in CSV format, or accessed programmatically via an API.

The platform includes the following types of weather data:

• City weather forecasts (hourly data for the next 15 days, covering 20+ meteorological variables).
• Gridded weather forecasts (hourly data for the next 15 days, based on a global 0.25° grid, covering 20+ meteorological variables).
• Historical weather data (hourly data for over 12,000 towns and cities globally, spanning more than 10 years, covering 20+ meteorological variables).

1. Weather Forecast Data

In the weather forecast panel, users can search for a location by entering a place name (in any language), geographic coordinates, or an ID. The platform covers over 12,000 inhabited locations worldwide with populations exceeding 50,000, including cities, towns, and villages. The ID used is the "geonameID"—a unique identifier assigned to locations globally by the GeoNames database. Once a keyword is entered, the system automatically identifies and matches the most relevant location. Selecting a location loads an hourly weather forecast chart for the next 15 days; users can then click the "Download Data" button in the top-right corner to export the complete forecast dataset.

The forecast data is sourced from the ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) and includes over 20 meteorological variables—such as air temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind speed, wind direction, humidity, solar radiation, ground temperature, soil moisture, and runoff—all provided with an hourly resolution. The API testing section below automatically generates an API call URL for the selected location. Clicking the "Test API" button retrieves a 15-day weather forecast, which can be accessed directly via a web application. Users also have the option to download the data as a CSV file. The API parameter documentation explains the available parameters; to retrieve a weather forecast for any location worldwide, simply provide a location identifier—such as a place name, an ID, or geographic coordinates—and the system will automatically identify the best match.

The table below provides detailed definitions, names, and physical units for all meteorological variables.

II. Gridded Forecast Data

On the gridded forecast data page, you can test API calls for weather forecasts across any specified geographic area (defined by latitude and longitude ranges). By providing the geographic range, the specific meteorological variable, and the desired time, the system returns a dataset with a 0.25° resolution. This represents the forecast for a given meteorological variable over a specific global region at a particular time within the next 15 days. This structured, gridded data can be overlaid onto geographic boundaries to create heatmaps or contour plots, or it can be imported into models for training purposes.

III. Historical Weather Data

In the historical weather data panel, users can select any location worldwide—again, by entering a place name, ID, or geographic coordinates—and the system will automatically identify the best match. This loads a chart displaying historical weather data for the past 15 days, covering over 20 parameters such as temperature, air pressure, precipitation, and radiation. Users can also download the complete historical dataset; please note that because the historical data spans a long period (over 10 years) and features high temporal resolution (hourly data), the download process may take several seconds to initiate.

The API testing section below automatically generates a URL for historical weather data for a given location. You can construct your own API request by adjusting the location and time-span parameters to quickly retrieve hourly historical weather data—covering the past few days, weeks, or even hundreds of days. Please note that longer time spans may result in slightly higher latency in the API response. The historical weather data is sourced from ERA5 and typically becomes available in the database with a delay of several days; for instance, if you request data for the "past day," the most recent available records may actually date back 7 to 10 days.
The table at the very bottom provides detailed definitions, names, and physical units for all available meteorological variables.