National Digital Forecast Database (NDFD)
REST
Web Service

1. What is the NDFD REST Service?
2. Why provide an NDFD REST service?
3. How often is NDFD REST Service updated?
4. How is NDFD Data generated?
5. What data does the NDFD data contain?
6. How Do You Use the Web Service?
7. What if I need lots of NDFD data or find the web service too slow?
8. What if I prefer to use SOAP to access NDFD web services?
9. NWS XML Services Change Notices

What is the NDFD REST Service?

National Digital Forecast Database (NDFD) REST service provides the public, government agencies, and commercial enterprises with data from the National Weather Service’s (NWS) digital forecast database.   This service, which is defined in a Service Description Document, provides NWS customers and partners the ability to retrieve NDFD data over the internet that is encoded in XML.

The XML dialect used is called Digital Weather Markup Language (DWML) and its schema can be found at the following link:

https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/DWMLgen/schema/DWML.xsd

The schema defines the XML language’s vocabulary (available tags and attributes) and syntax (expected order of tags).   Knowing how DWML is constructed, users can write programs to process the XML document to get at the data it contains.

To see a sample Digital Weather Markup Language document that conforms to the DWML schema, click on any of the following links:

https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/DWMLgen/schema/latest_DWML.txt
https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/DWMLgen/schema/latest_DWML_glance.txt
https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/DWMLgen/schema/latest_DWMLByDay24hr.txt
https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/DWMLgen/schema/latest_DWMLByDay12hr.txt

Why provide an NDFD REST service?

The National Weather Service is striving to serve society’s needs for weather information by evolving its services from a text-based paradigm to one based on making NWS information available quickly, efficiently, and in convenient and understandable forms.   The NDFD is one example of this transformation.   NDFD REST takes yet another step towards a digital services era by making NDFD data available for computer to computer transfer and processing.   NWS customers and partners can then enhance the value of NDFD data through the creation of value added products.

You can provide comments on this web service from the following page.

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/feedback.php

How often is NDFD data updated?

The NDFD data available via the REST service is updated no more than hourly. As a result, we request developers using this REST service only make a request for a specific point no more than once an hour. The database is currently updated by 45 minutes after the hour.

You can interact with the REST service by visiting the following URLs:

https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/sample_products/browser_interface/ndfdXML.htm https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/sample_products/browser_interface/ndfdBrowserByDay.htm

By clicking the “submit” button on the above web pages, a script is executed to request and retrieve DWML-encoded NDFD data.

What data does the NDFD contain?

NDFD XML contains forecasts for any combination of the following meteorological parameters:

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/ndfd/technical.htm#elements

For additional information on NDFD parameter definitions and available time projection, please see the NDFD technical page.

These NDFD parameters can be retrieved in their unsummarized form using the ndfdXMLclient.php interface, or summarized over either 24- or 12-hourly periods using the ndfdBrowserClientByDay.php interface. See the section below titled "How Do You Use the Web Service?" for more details on these two methods of accessing the service.

In addition to its meteorological content, the NDFD REST service response contains meta data.   A description of the meta data and data XML tags and attributes can be found in the Digital Weather Markup Language Specification [PDF] [HTML] [DOC]

How Do You Use the Web Service?

The first step to using the web service is to create a RESTful client.   The client submits an HTTP request containing a query string that holds the input expected by the service.   See the tables below for required user supplied input:

ndfdXMLclient.php Interface

Single Point Unsummarized Data: Returns DWML-encoded NDFD data for a point



Input Name	Example	Description
lat	39.0000	The WGS84 latitude of the point for which you want NDFD data.   North latitude is positive.
lon	-77.0000	The WGS84 longitude of the point for which you want NDFD data.   West longitude is negative.
product	time-series	There are two products.   The “time-series” product returns all data between the start and end times for the selected weather parameters.   The “glance” product returns all data between the start and end times for the parameters maxt, mint, sky, wx, and icons
begin	2004-04-27T12:00	The beginning time for which you want NDFD data.   If the string is empty, the beginnng time is assumed to be the earliest available time in the database. Time should be in UTC time.
end	2004-04-30T12:00	The ending time for which you want NDFD data.   If the string is empty, the ending time is assumed to be the last available time in the database. Time should be in UTC time.
Unit	e	The unit data is to be retrieved in. The default value is U.S. Standard, or English units ("e"). A string value of "m" will return data in Metric, or SI units (The International System of Units). If the string is empty, data will be returned in U.S. Standard units, thus the input is only needed for metric conversion.
One or more ndfd elements	maxt=maxt&mint=mint	The NDFD parameters that you are requesting.   For valid inputs see the NDFD Element Names Page.

A sample query string follows:

https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/sample_products/browser_interface/ndfdXMLclient.php?lat=38.99&lon=-77.01&product=time-series&begin=2004-01-01T00:00:00&end=2019-04-20T00:00:00&maxt=maxt&mint=mint

Multiple Point Unsummarized Data: Returns DWML-encoded NDFD data for a list of points



Input Name	Example	Description
listLatLon	38.99,-77.02 39.70,-104.80	List of WGS84 latitude and longitude pairs for the points for which you want NDFD data.   Each point's latitude and longitude value is seperated by a comma. Each pair (one latitude and longitude value) is separated by a space. Number of points requested can not exceed 200.
product	time-series	There are two products.   The “time-series” product returns all data between the start and end times for the selected weather parameters.   The “glance” product returns all data between the start and end times for the parameters maxt, mint, sky, wx, and icons
begin	2004-04-27T12:00	The beginning time for which you want NDFD data.   If the string is empty, the beginning time is assumed to be the earliest available time in the database. Time should be in UTC time.
end	2004-04-30T12:00	The ending time for which you want NDFD data.   If the string is empty, the ending time is assumed to be the last available time in the database. Time should be in UTC time.
Unit	e	The unit data is to be retrieved in. The default value is U.S. Standard, or English units ("e"). A string value of "m" will return data in Metric, or SI units (The International System of Units). If the string is empty, data will be returned in U.S. Standard units, thus the input is only needed for metric conversion.
One or more ndfd elements	maxt=maxt&mint=mint	The NDFD parameters that you are requesting.   For valid inputs see the NDFD Element Names Page.

A sample query string follows:

https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/sample_products/browser_interface/ndfdXMLclient.php?listLatLon=38.99,-77.02 39.70,-104.80 47.6,-122.30&product=time-series&begin=2004-01-01T00:00:00&end=2019-04-20T00:00:00&Unit=e&maxt=maxt&mint=mint

Unsummarized Data for a Subgrid: Returns DWML-encoded NDFD data for a subgrid defined by a lower left and upper right point



Input Name	Example	Description
lat1	33.8835	The WGS84 latitude of the lower left point of the rectangular subgrid for which you want NDFD grid points.   North latitude is positive.
lon1	-80.0679	The WGS84 longitude of the lower left point of the rectangular subgrid for which you want NDFD grid points.   West longitude is negative.
lat2	33.8835	The WGS84 latitude of the upper right point of the rectangular subgrid for which you want NDFD grid points.   North latitude is positive.
lon2	-80.0679	The WGS84 longitude of the upper right point of the rectangular subgrid for which you want NDFD grid points.   West longitude is negative.
resolutionSub	20.0	The default resolution for NDFD data is typically 5km. However, users can request latitude and longitude values for resolutions greater ( 10km, 15km, 20km, etc.) than the native resolution so as to reduce the number of points returned.
product	time-series	There are two products.   The “time-series” product returns all data between the start and end times for the selected weather parameters.   The “glance” product returns all data between the start and end times for the parameters maxt, mint, sky, wx, and icons
begin	2004-04-27T12:00	The beginning time for which you want NDFD data.   If the string is empty, the beginning time is assumed to be the earliest available time in the database. Time should be in UTC time.
end	2004-04-30T12:00	The ending time for which you want NDFD data.   If the string is empty, the ending time is assumed to be the last available time in the database. Time should be in UTC time.
Unit	e	The unit data is to be retrieved in. The default value is U.S. Standard, or English units ("e"). A string value of "m" will return data in Metric, or SI units (The International System of Units). If the string is empty, data will be returned in U.S. Standard units, thus the input is only needed for metric conversion.
One or more ndfd elements	maxt=maxt&mint=mint	The NDFD parameters that you are requesting.   For valid inputs see the NDFD Element Names Page.

A sample query string follows:

https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/sample_products/browser_interface/ndfdXMLclient.php?lat1=35.00&lon1=-82.00&lat2=35.5&lon2=-81.50&resolutionSub=20.0&product=time-series&begin=2004-01-01T00:00:00&end=2019-04-21T00:00:00&maxt=maxt&mint=mint

A List of NDFD Points for a Subgrid: Returns the WGS84 latitude and longitude values of all the NDFD grid points within a rectangular subgrid as defined by points at the lower left and upper right corners of the rectangle. The returned list of points is suitable for use in inputs listLatLon and gmlListLatLon. NOTE: The subgrid locations will only form a rectangle when viewed in the NDFD projection applicable to the grid.



Input Name	Example	Description
listLat1	33.8835	The WGS84 latitude of the lower left point of the rectangular subgrid for which you want NDFD grid points.   North latitude is positive.
listLon1	-80.0679	The WGS84 longitude of the lower left point of the rectangular subgrid for which you want NDFD grid points.   West longitude is negative.
listLat2	33.8835	The WGS84 latitude of the upper right point of the rectangular subgrid for which you want NDFD grid points.   North latitude is positive.
listLon2	-80.0679	The WGS84 longitude of the upper right point of the rectangular subgrid for which you want NDFD grid points.   West longitude is negative.
resolutionList	20.0	The default resolution for NDFD data is typically 5km. However, users can request latitude and longitude values for resolutions greater ( 10km, 15km, 20km, etc.) than the native resolution so as to reduce the number of points returned.

A sample query string follows:

https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/sample_products/browser_interface/ndfdXMLclient.php?listLat1=35.00&listLon1=-82.00&listLat2=35.5&listLon2=-81.50&resolutionList=20.0

Unsummarized Data for a Line: Returns DWML-encoded NDFD data for a line of points defined by the two end point



Input Name	Example	Description
endPoint1Lat	39.0000	The WGS84 latitude of the first end point of the line for which you want NDFD grid points.   North latitude is positive.
endPoint1Lon	-77.0000	The WGS84 longitude of the first end point of the line for which you want NDFD grid points.   West longitude is negative.
endPoint2Lat	39.0000	The WGS84 latitude of the second end point of the line for which you want NDFD grid points.   North latitude is positive.
endPoint2Lon	-77.0000	The WGS84 longitude of the second end point of the line for which you want NDFD grid points.   West longitude is negative.
product	time-series	There are two products.   The “time-series” product returns all data between the start and end times for the selected weather parameters.   The “glance” product returns all data between the start and end times for the parameters maxt, mint, sky, wx, and icons
begin	2004-04-27T12:00	The beginning time for which you want NDFD data.   If the string is empty, the beginning time is assumed to be the earliest available time in the database. Time should be in UTC time.
end	2004-04-30T12:00	The ending time for which you want NDFD data.   If the string is empty, the ending time is assumed to be the last available time in the database. Time should be in UTC time.
Unit	e	The unit data is to be retrieved in. The default value is U.S. Standard, or English units ("e"). A string value of "m" will return data in Metric, or SI units (The International System of Units). If the string is empty, data will be returned in U.S. Standard units, thus the input is only needed for metric conversion.
One or more ndfd elements	maxt=maxt&mint=mint	The NDFD parameters that you are requesting.   For valid inputs see the NDFD Element Names Page.

A sample query string follows:

https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/sample_products/browser_interface/ndfdXMLclient.php?endPoint1Lat=38.99&endPoint1Lon=-77.01&endPoint2Lat=39.99&endPoint2Lon=-78.01&product=time-series&begin=2004-01-01T00:00:00&end=2019-04-21T00:00:00&maxt=maxt&mint=mint

A List of NDFD Points for a Line: Returns the WGS84 latitude and longitude values for all points on a line defined by the line's end points. The returned list of points is suitable for use in inputs listLatLon and gmlListLatLon. NOTE: The list of locations will only form a straight line when viewed in the NDFD projection applicable to the grid.



Input Name	Example	Description
endPoint1Lat	39.0000	The WGS84 latitude of the first end point of the line for which you want NDFD grid points.   North latitude is positive.
endPoint1Lon	-77.0000	The WGS84 longitude of the first end point of the line for which you want NDFD grid points.   West longitude is negative.
endPoint2Lat	39.0000	The WGS84 latitude of the second end point of the line for which you want NDFD grid points.   North latitude is positive.
endPoint2Lon	-77.0000	The WGS84 longitude of the second end point of the line for which you want NDFD grid points.   West longitude is negative.

A sample query string follows:

https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/sample_products/browser_interface/ndfdXMLclient.php?listEndPoint1Lat=38.99&listEndPoint1Lon=-77.01&listEndPoint2Lat=39.99&listEndPoint2Lon=-78.01

Unsummarized Data for One or More Zipcodes: Returns DWML-encoded NDFD data for one or more zip codes (50 United States and Puerto Rico). The returned list of points is suitable for use in inputs listLatLon and gmlListLatLon.



Input Name	Example	Description
zipCodeList	20910	The zip code of the area for which you want NDFD grid points.
product	time-series	There are two products.   The “time-series” product returns all data between the start and end times for the selected weather parameters.   The “glance” product returns all data between the start and end times for the parameters maxt, mint, sky, wx, and icons
begin	2004-04-27T12:00	The beginning time for which you want NDFD data.   If the string is empty, the beginning time is assumed to be the earliest available time in the database. Time should be in UTC time.
end	2004-04-30T12:00	The ending time for which you want NDFD data.   If the string is empty, the ending time is assumed to be the last available time in the database. Time should be in UTC time.
Unit	e	The unit data is to be retrieved in. The default value is U.S. Standard, or English units ("e"). A string value of "m" will return data in Metric, or SI units (The International System of Units). If the string is empty, data will be returned in U.S. Standard units, thus the input is only needed for metric conversion.
One or more ndfd elements	maxt=maxt&mint=mint	The NDFD parameters that you are requesting.   For valid inputs see the NDFD Element Names Page.

A sample query string follows:

https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/sample_products/browser_interface/ndfdXMLclient.php?zipCodeList=20910+25414&product=time-series&begin=2004-01-01T00:00:00&end=2019-04-21T00:00:00&maxt=maxt&mint=mint

A List of NDFD Points for a Zipcode: Returns the WGS84 latitude and longitude values for one or more zip codes (50 United States and Puerto Rico). The returned list of points is suitable for use in inputs listLatLon and gmlListLatLon.



Input Name	Example	Description
listZipCodeList	20910	The zip code of the area for which you want NDFD grid points.

A sample query string follows:

https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/sample_products/browser_interface/ndfdXMLclient.php?listZipCodeList=20910+25414

Unsummarized Data for a List of Cities: Returns DWML-encoded NDFD data for a predefined list of cities. The cities are grouped into a number of subsets to facilitate requesting data. You can view the cities in each group by clicking on the links in the table below.



Input Name	Example	Description
citiesLevel	12	1 = Primary Cities. 2 = Secondary Cities. 3 = Cities that increase data density across the US (cities 1 - 200). 4 = Cities that increase data density across the US (cities 201 - 304). 12 = Combines cities in 1 and 2 above. 34 = Combines cities in 3 and 4 above. 1234 = Combines cities in 1, 2, 3, and 4 above.
product	time-series	There are two products.   The “time-series” product returns all data between the start and end times for the selected weather parameters.   The “glance” product returns all data between the start and end times for the parameters maxt, mint, sky, wx, and icons
begin	2004-04-27T12:00	The beginning time for which you want NDFD data.   If the string is empty, the beginning time is assumed to be the earliest available time in the database. Time should be in UTC time.
end	2004-04-30T12:00	The ending time for which you want NDFD data.   If the string is empty, the ending time is assumed to be the last available time in the database. Time should be in UTC time.
Unit	e	The unit data is to be retrieved in. The default value is U.S. Standard, or English units ("e"). A string value of "m" will return data in Metric, or SI units (The International System of Units). If the string is empty, data will be returned in U.S. Standard units, thus the input is only needed for metric conversion.
One or more ndfd elements	maxt=maxt&mint=mint	The NDFD parameters that you are requesting.   For valid inputs see the NDFD Element Names Page.

A sample query string follows:

https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/sample_products/browser_interface/ndfdXMLclient.php?citiesLevel=12&product=time-series&begin=2004-01-01T00:00:00&end=2019-04-21T00:00:00&maxt=maxt&mint=mint

A List of NDFD Points for a List of Cities: Returns the WGS84 latitude and longitude values for a predefined list of cities. The cities are grouped into a number of subsets to facilitate requesting data. You can view the cities in each group by clicking on the links in the table below. The returned list of pointsis suitable for input into NDFDgenLatLonList(), NDFDgenByDayLatLonList(), and GmlLatLonList() which will return NDFD data for those points.



Input Name	Example	Description
listCitiesLevel	12	1 = Primary Cities. 2 = Secondary Cities. 3 = Cities that increase data density across the US (cities 1 - 200). 4 = Cities that increase data density across the US (cities 201 - 304). 12 = Combines cities in 1 and 2 above. 34 = Combines cities in 3 and 4 above. 1234 = Combines cities in 1, 2, 3, and 4 above.

A sample query string follows:

https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/sample_products/browser_interface/ndfdXMLclient.php?listCitiesLevel=12

Unsummarized Data for a Subgrid Defined by a Center Point: Returns DWML-encoded NDFD data for a rectangle defined by a center point and distances in the latitudinal and longitudinal directions.



Input Name	Example	Description
centerPointLat	39.0000	The WGS84 latitude of the center or the rectangle for which you want NDFD grid points.   North latitude is positive.
centerPointLon	-77.0000	The WGS84 longitude of the center or the rectangle for which you want NDFD grid points.   West longitude is negative.
distanceLat	50.0	The distance from the center point in the latitudinal direction to the rectangle's East/West oriented sides.
distanceLon	50.0	The distance from the center point in the longitudinal direction to the rectangle's North/South oriented side.
resolutionSquare	20.0	The default resolution for NDFD data is typically 5km. However, users can request latitude and longitude values for resolutions greater ( 10km, 15km, 20km, etc.) than the native resolution so as to reduce the number of points returned.
product	time-series	There are two products.   The “time-series” product returns all data between the start and end times for the selected weather parameters.   The “glance” product returns all data between the start and end times for the parameters maxt, mint, sky, wx, and icons
begin	2004-04-27T12:00	The beginning time for which you want NDFD data.   If the string is empty, the beginning time is assumed to be the earliest available time in the database. Time should be in UTC time.
end	2004-04-30T12:00	The ending time for which you want NDFD data.   If the string is empty, the ending time is assumed to be the last available time in the database. Time should be in UTC time.
Unit	e	The unit data is to be retrieved in. The default value is U.S. Standard, or English units ("e"). A string value of "m" will return data in Metric, or SI units (The International System of Units). If the string is empty, data will be returned in U.S. Standard units, thus the input is only needed for metric conversion.
One or more ndfd elements	maxt=maxt&mint=mint	The NDFD parameters that you are requesting.   For valid inputs see the NDFD Element Names Page.

A sample query string follows:

https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/sample_products/browser_interface/ndfdXMLclient.php?centerPointLat=38.0&centerPointLon=-97.4&distanceLat=50.0&distanceLon=50.0&resolutionSquare=20.0&product=time-series&begin=2004-01-01T00:00:00&end=2019-04-21T00:00:00&maxt=maxt&mint=mint

A List of NDFD Points for a Subgrid Defined by a Center Point: Returns the WGS84 latitude and longitude values for a rectangle defined by a center point and distances in the latitudinal and longitudinal directions. The returned list of points is suitable for use in inputs listLatLon and gmlListLatLon. NOTE: The subgrid locations will only form a rectangle when viewed in the NDFD projection applicable to the grid.



Input Name	Example	Description
listCenterPointLat	39.0000	The WGS84 latitude of the center or the rectangle for which you want NDFD grid points.   North latitude is positive.
listCenterPointLon	-77.0000	The WGS84 longitude of the center or the rectangle for which you want NDFD grid points.   West longitude is negative.
listDistanceLat	50.0	The distance from the center point in the latitudinal direction to the rectangle's East/West oriented sides.
listDistanceLon	50.0	The distance from the center point in the longitudinal direction to the rectangle's North/South oriented side.
listResolutionSquare	20.0	The default resolution for NDFD data is typically 5km. However, users can request latitude and longitude values for resolutions greater ( 10km, 15km, 20km, etc.) than the native resolution so as to reduce the number of points returned.

A sample query string follows:

https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/sample_products/browser_interface/ndfdXMLclient.php?listCenterPointLat=38.0&listCenterPointLon=-77.00&listDistanceLat=30.0&listDistanceLon=30.0&listResolutionSquare=20.0

A List of NDFD Points for the Corners of an NDFD Grid: Returns the WGS84 latitude and longitude values for the corners of an NDFD grid as well as the resolution required to retrieve the entire grid and still stay under the maximum allowed point restriction.



Input Name	Example	Description
sector	conus	One of the NDFD grids (conus, alaska, nhemi, guam, hawaii, and puertori).

A sample query string follows:

https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/sample_products/browser_interface/ndfdXMLclient.php?sector=conus

Unsummarized Data for a Single Time Encoded in dwGML: Returns Digital Weather Geography Markup Language (dwGML) encoded NDFD data for a list of points at a single valid time.



Input Name	Example	Description
gmlListLatLon	38.99,-77.02 39.70,-104.80	List of WGS84 latitude and longitude pairs for the points for which you want NDFD data.   Each point's latitude and longitude value is seperated by a comma. Each pair (one latitude and longitude value) is separated by a space. Number of points requested can not exceed 200.
requestedTime	2004-04-27T12:00:00	The time for which you want NDFD data.
featureType	Forecast_Gml2Point	GML 2 Compliant Data Structure: Forecast_Gml2Point GML 3 Compliant Data Structures: Forecast_GmlsfPoint, Forecast_GmlObs, NdfdMultiPointCoverage KML 2 Compliant Data Structure: Ndfd_KmlPoint
propertyName	maxt,mint	The NDFD parameters that you are requesting.   For valid inputs see the NDFD Element Names Page.

A sample query string follows:

https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/sample_products/browser_interface/ndfdXMLclient.php?whichClient=GmlLatLonList&gmlListLatLon=38.99,-77.02 39.70,-104.80 47.6,-122.30&featureType=Forecast_Gml2Point&&begin=2000-01-01T00:00:00&end=2015-01-01T00:00:00&compType=Between&propertyName=maxt,wx

GML is an Open Geospatial Consortium standard for encoding geospatial data. One of the advantages of NDFD GML is that it is a recognized standard. As a result, GML and application schema derived from it are supported by a number of GIS applications. There are examples of importing GML-encoded NDFD into several applications at the following link.



Tutorials showing how to use various compatible clients

Tutorials on integrating the NDFD Web Service and clients like ArcGIS, Google Earth, and Google Maps.

In addition to GML, the service can return Keyhole Markup Language (KML) encoded NDFD data by setting the featureType input to Ndfd_KmlPoint. KML can be viewed with freely available tools like Google Earth.

Unsummarized Data for a Period of Time Encoded in dwGML: Returns Digital Weather Geography Markup Language (dwGML) encoded NDFD data for a list of points during a user specified time period.



Input Name	Example	Description
gmlListLatLon	38.99,-77.02 39.70,-104.80	List of WGS84 latitude and longitude pairs for the points for which you want NDFD data.   Each point's latitude and longitude value is seperated by a comma. Each pair (one latitude and longitude value) is separated by a space. Number of points requested can not exceed 200.
begin	XML Date String	2008-01-01T00:00:00	The start time for which you want NDFD data. If the string is empty, the beginning time is assumed to be the earliest available time in the database. This input is only needed if one wants to shorten the time window data is to be retrieved for (less than entire 7 days worth), e.g. if user wants data for days 2-5.
end	XML Date String	2010-12-31T23:59:59	The end time for which you want NDFD data. If the string is empty, the ending time is assumed to be the latest available time in the database. This input is only needed if one wants to shorten the time window data is to be retrieved for (less than entire 7 days worth), e.g. if user wants data for days 2-5.
compType	string	Between	Comparison type. Can be IsEqual, Between, GreatThan, GreaterThanOrEqual, LessThan, or LessThanOrEqual.
featureType	string	Forecast_Gml2Point	GML 2 Compliant Data Structure: Forecast_Gml2Point GML 3 Compliant Data Structures: Forecast_GmlsfPoint, Forecast_GmlObs, NdfdMultiPointCoverage KML 2 Compliant Data Structure: Ndfd_KmlPoint
propertyName	comma delimited list	maxt,mint,wx	The NDFD element that you are requesting.   For valid inputs see the NDFD Element Names Page.

A sample query string follows:

https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/sample_products/browser_interface/ndfdXMLclient.php?gmlListLatLon=38.99,-77.02+39.70,-104.80+47.6,-122.30&featureType=Forecast_Gml2Point&begin=2000-01-01T00:00:00&end=2018-01-01T00:00:00&compType=Between&propertyName=maxt,wx

GML is an Open Geospatial Consortium standard for encoding geospatial data. One of the advantages of NDFD GML is that it is a recognized standard. As a result, GML and application schema derived from it are supported by a number of GIS applications. There are examples of importing GML-encoded NDFD into several applications at the following link.



Tutorials showing how to use various compatible clients

Tutorials on integrating the NDFD Web Service and clients like ArcGIS, Google Earth, and Google Maps.

In addition to GML, the service can return Keyhole Markup Language (KML) encoded NDFD data by setting the featureType input to Ndfd_KmlPoint. KML can be viewed with freely available tools like Google Earth.

ndfdBrowserClientByDay.php Interface

Single Point Summarized Data: Returns DWML-encoded NDFD data for a point. Data for each point is summarized for either a 24- or 12-hour time period



Input Name	Example	Description
lat	39.0000	The WGS84 latitude of the point for which you want NDFD data.   North latitude is positive.
lon	-77.0000	The WGS84 longitude of the point for which you want NDFD data.   West longitude is negative.
startDate	2004-04-27	The beginning day for which you want NDFD data.   If the string is empty, the start date is assumed to be the earliest available day in the database. This input is only needed if one wants to shorten the time window data is to be retrieved for (less than entire 7 days worth), e.g. if user wants data for days 2-5.
numDays	7	The number of days worth of NDFD data you want. If the string is empty, numDays is assumed to be full number of days in the database. This input is only needed if one wants to shorten the time window data is to be retrieved for (less than entire 7 days worth), e.g. if user wants data for days 2-5.
Unit	e	The unit data is to be retrieved in. The default value is U.S. Standard, or English units ("e"). A string value of "m" will return data in Metric, or SI units (The International System of Units). If the string is empty, data will be returned in U.S. Standard units, thus the input is only needed for metric conversion.
format	12 hourly	There are two formats.   The “24 hourly” format returns NDFD data summarized for a 24 hour period running from 6:00 AM to 6:00 AM.   The “12 hourly” format summarizes NDFD data into two 12 hour periods per day that run from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM and 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM

A sample query string follows:

https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/sample_products/browser_interface/ndfdBrowserClientByDay.php?lat=38.99&lon=-77.01&format=24+hourly&numDays=7

Multiple Point Summarized Data: Returns DWML-encoded NDFD data for a list of points. Data for each point is summarized for either a 24- or 12-hour time period



Input Name	Example	Description
listLatLon	38.99,-77.02 39.70,-104.80	List of WGS84 latitude and longitude pairs for the points for which you want NDFD data.   Each point's latitude and longitude value is seperated by a comma. Each pair (one latitude and longitude value) is separated by a space. Number of points requested can not exceed 200.
startDate	2004-04-27	The beginning day for which you want NDFD data.   If the string is empty, the start date is assumed to be the earliest available day in the database. This input is only needed if one wants to shorten the time window data is to be retrieved for (less than entire 7 days worth), e.g. if user wants data for days 2-5.
numDays	7	The number of days worth of NDFD data you want. If the string is empty, numDays is assumed to be the full number of days in the database. This input is only needed if one wants to shorten the time window data is to be retrieved for (less than entire 7 days worth), e.g. if user wants data for days 2-5.
Unit	e	The unit data is to be retrieved in. The default value is U.S. Standard, or English units ("e"). A string value of "m" will return data in Metric, or SI units (The International System of Units). If the string is empty, data will be returned in U.S. Standard units, thus the input is only needed for metric conversion.
format	12 hourly	There are two formats.   The “24 hourly” format returns NDFD data summarized for a 24 hour period running from 6:00 AM to 6:00 AM.   The “12 hourly” format summarizes NDFD data into two 12 hour periods per day that run from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM and 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM

A sample query string follows:

https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/sample_products/browser_interface/ndfdBrowserClientByDay.php?listLatLon=38.99,-77.02+39.70,-104.80+47.6,-122.30&format=24+hourly&numDays=7

Summarized Data for a Subgrid: Returns DWML-encoded NDFD data for all the NDFD grid points within a rectangular subgrid as defined by points at the lower left and upper right corners of the rectangle.



Input Name	Example	Description
lat1	33.8835	The WGS84 latitude of the lower left point of the rectangular subgrid for which you want NDFD grid points.   North latitude is positive.
lon1	-80.0679	The WGS84 longitude of the lower left point of the rectangular subgrid for which you want NDFD grid points.   West longitude is negative.
lat2	33.8835	The WGS84 latitude of the upper right point of the rectangular subgrid for which you want NDFD grid points.   North latitude is positive.
lon2	-80.0679	The WGS84 longitude of the upper right point of the rectangular subgrid for which you want NDFD grid points.   West longitude is negative.
resolutionSub	20.0	The default resolution for NDFD data is typically 5km. However, users can request latitude and longitude values for resolutions greater ( 10km, 15km, 20km, etc.) than the native resolution so as to reduce the number of points returned.
startDate	2004-04-27	The beginning day for which you want NDFD data.   If the string is empty, the start date is assumed to be the earliest available day in the database. This input is only needed if one wants to shorten the time window data is to be retrieved for (less than entire 7 days worth), e.g. if user wants data for days 2-5.
numDays	7	The number of days worth of NDFD data you want. If the string is empty, numDays is assumed to be the full number of days in the database. This input is only needed if one wants to shorten the time window data is to be retrieved for (less than entire 7 days worth), e.g. if user wants data for days 2-5.
Unit	e	The unit data is to be retrieved in. The default value is U.S. Standard, or English units ("e"). A string value of "m" will return data in Metric, or SI units (The International System of Units). If the string is empty, data will be returned in U.S. Standard units, thus the input is only needed for metric conversion.
format	12 hourly	There are two formats.   The “24 hourly” format returns NDFD data summarized for a 24 hour period running from 6:00 AM to 6:00 AM.   The “12 hourly” format summarizes NDFD data into two 12 hour periods per day that run from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM and 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM

A sample query string follows:

https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/sample_products/browser_interface/ndfdBrowserClientByDay.php?lat1=35.00&lon1=-82.00&lat2=35.5&lon2=-81.50&resolutionSub=20.0&format=24+hourly&numDays=7

Summarized Data for a Line: Returns DWML-encoded NDFD data for all points on a line defined by the line's end points.



Input Name	Example	Description
endPoint1Lat	39.0000	The WGS84 latitude of the first end point of the line for which you want NDFD grid points.   North latitude is positive.
endPoint1Lon	-77.0000	The WGS84 longitude of the first end point of the line for which you want NDFD grid points.   West longitude is negative.
endPoint2Lat	39.0000	The WGS84 latitude of the second end point of the line for which you want NDFD grid points.   North latitude is positive.
endPoint2Lon	-77.0000	The WGS84 longitude of the second end point of the line for which you want NDFD grid points.   West longitude is negative.
startDate	2004-04-27	The beginning day for which you want NDFD data.   If the string is empty, the start date is assumed to be the earliest available day in the database. This input is only needed if one wants to shorten the time window data is to be retrieved for (less than entire 7 days worth), e.g. if user wants data for days 2-5.
numDays	7	The number of days worth of NDFD data you want. If the string is empty, numDays is assumed to be the full number of days in the database. This input is only needed if one wants to shorten the time window data is to be retrieved for (less than entire 7 days worth), e.g. if user wants data for days 2-5.
Unit	e	The unit data is to be retrieved in. The default value is U.S. Standard, or English units ("e"). A string value of "m" will return data in Metric, or SI units (The International System of Units). If the string is empty, data will be returned in U.S. Standard units, thus the input is only needed for metric conversion.
format	12 hourly	There are two formats.   The “24 hourly” format returns NDFD data summarized for a 24 hour period running from 6:00 AM to 6:00 AM.   The “12 hourly” format summarizes NDFD data into two 12 hour periods per day that run from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM and 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM

A sample query string follows:

https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/sample_products/browser_interface/ndfdBrowserClientByDay.php?endPoint1Lat=38.99&endPoint1Lon=-77.01&endPoint2Lat=39.99&endPoint2Lon=-78.01&format=24+hourly&numDays=7

Summarized Data for One or More Zipcodes: Returns DWML-encoded NDFD data for one or more zip codes (50 United States and Puerto Rico).



Input Name	Example	Description
zipCodeList	20910	The zip code of the area for which you want NDFD grid points.
startDate	2004-04-27	The beginning day for which you want NDFD data.   If the string is empty, the start date is assumed to be the earliest available day in the database. This input is only needed if one wants to shorten the time window data is to be retrieved for (less than entire 7 days worth), e.g. if user wants data for days 2-5.
numDays	7	The number of days worth of NDFD data you want. If the string is empty, numDays is assumed to be the full amount of daysi in the database. This input is only needed if one wants to shorten the time window data is to be retrieved for (less than entire 7 days worth), e.g. if user wants data for days 2-5.
Unit	e	The unit data is to be retrieved in. The default value is U.S. Standard, or English units ("e"). A string value of "m" will return data in Metric, or SI units (The International System of Units). If the string is empty, data will be returned in U.S. Standard units, thus the input is only needed for metric conversion.
format	12 hourly	There are two formats.   The “24 hourly” format returns NDFD data summarized for a 24 hour period running from 6:00 AM to 6:00 AM.   The “12 hourly” format summarizes NDFD data into two 12 hour periods per day that run from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM and 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM

A sample query string follows:

https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/sample_products/browser_interface/ndfdBrowserClientByDay.php?zipCodeList=20910+25414&format=24+hourly&numDays=7

Summarized Data for a List of Cities: Returns DWML-encoded NDFD data for a predefined list of cities. The cities are grouped into a number of subsets to facilitate requesting data. You can view the cities in each group by clicking on the links in the table below.



Input Name	Example	Description
citiesLevel	12	1 = Primary Cities. 2 = Secondary Cities. 3 = Cities that increase data density across the US (cities 1 - 200). 4 = Cities that increase data density across the US (cities 201 - 304). 12 = Combines cities in 1 and 2 above. 34 = Combines cities in 3 and 4 above. 1234 = Combines cities in 1, 2, 3, and 4 above.
startDate	2004-04-27	The beginning day for which you want NDFD data.   If the string is empty, the start date is assumed to be the earliest available day in the database. This input is only needed if one wants to shorten the time window data is to be retrieved for (less than entire 7 days worth), e.g. if user wants data for days 2-5.
numDays	7	The number of days worth of NDFD data you want. If the string is empty, numDays is assumed to be the full amount of days in the database. This input is only needed if one wants to shorten the time window data is to be retrieved for (less than entire 7 days worth), e.g. if user wants data for days 2-5.
Unit	e	The unit data is to be retrieved in. The default value is U.S. Standard, or English units ("e"). A string value of "m" will return data in Metric, or SI units (The International System of Units). If the string is empty, data will be returned in U.S. Standard units, thus the input is only needed for metric conversion.
format	12 hourly	There are two formats.   The “24 hourly” format returns NDFD data summarized for a 24 hour period running from 6:00 AM to 6:00 AM.   The “12 hourly” format summarizes NDFD data into two 12 hour periods per day that run from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM and 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM

A sample query string follows:

https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/sample_products/browser_interface/ndfdBrowserClientByDay.php?citiesLevel=12&format=24+hourly&numDays=7

Summarized Data for a Subgrid Defined by a Center Point: Returns DWML-encoded NDFD data for a rectangle defined by a center point and distances in the latitudinal and longitudinal directions.



Input Name	Example	Description
centerPointLat	39.0000	The WGS84 latitude of the center or the rectangle for which you want NDFD grid points.   North latitude is positive.
centerPointLon	-77.0000	The WGS84 longitude of the center or the rectangle for which you want NDFD grid points.   West longitude is negative.
distanceLat	50.0	The distance from the center point in the latitudinal direction to the rectangle's East/West oriented sides.
distanceLon	50.0	The distance from the center point in the longitudinal direction to the rectangle's North/South oriented side.
resolutionSquare	20.0	The default resolution for NDFD data is typically 5km. However, users can request latitude and longitude values for resolutions greater ( 10km, 15km, 20km, etc.) than the native resolution so as to reduce the number of points returned.
startDate	2004-04-27	The beginning day for which you want NDFD data.   If the string is empty, the start date is assumed to be the earliest available day in the database. This input is only needed if one wants to shorten the time window data is to be retrieved for (less than entire 7 days worth), e.g. if user wants data for days 2-5.
numDays	7	The number of days worth of NDFD data you want. If the string is empty, numDays is assumed to be the full amount of days in the database. This input is only needed if one wants to shorten the time window data is to be retrieved for (less than entire 7 days worth), e.g. if user wants data for days 2-5.
Unit	e	The unit data is to be retrieved in. The default value is U.S. Standard, or English units ("e"). A string value of "m" will return data in Metric, or SI units (The International System of Units). If the string is empty, data will be returned in U.S. Standard units, thus the input is only needed for metric conversion.
format	12 hourly	There are two formats.   The “24 hourly” format returns NDFD data summarized for a 24 hour period running from 6:00 AM to 6:00 AM.   The “12 hourly” format summarizes NDFD data into two 12 hour periods per day that run from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM and 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM

A sample query string follows:

https://graphical.weather.gov/xml/sample_products/browser_interface/ndfdBrowserClientByDay.php?centerPointLat=38.0&centerPointLon=-97.4&distanceLat=50.0&distanceLon=50.0&resolutionSquare=20.0&format=24+hourly&numDays=7

Once the REST Services returns the XML document back to the client, you can then parse the DWML using SAX, the DOM, or XSLT.

All latitude and longitude values provided as input or in the output DWML are based on the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84). For more inforation on the NDFD spatial reference system see the NDFD Spatial Reference System page.

Please note: There is an NDFD Web Services user forum that might be able to help developers with implementation language specific issues. The unofficial forum can be found at the following URL:

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/NDFD_SOAP_Service/

What if I need lots of NDFD data or find the web service too slow?

You should consult the NDFD web services use guidelines.

The NWS has developed a program called degrib that can output NDFD data encoded in DWML. Degrib is a C program that allows you to visualize NDFD GRIB2 data and convert these binary files into other formats. If you are a web service user who wants DWML-encoded data for a large number of NDFD points, degrib will allow you to move the DWML-encoding process to your computer. By using degrib to process the NDFD data on a local computer, you may be able to significantly improve the speed with which your program is able to ingest NDFD data. The NWS makes a degrib executable available for Microsoft Windows PCs and the degrib source code available for compilation on other computer operating systems. To download degrib software, visit the URL http://www.nws.noaa.gov/mdl/degrib/register.php. Once you have the degrib software running, you will need to maintain updated NDFD GRIB2 files. For more information on downloading NDFD GRIB2 files from the NWS Telecommunication Operations Center, see the URL http://www.nws.noaa.gov/mdl/degrib/dataloc.php. For additional help on using degrib to convert NDFD GRIB2 files into DWML see the degrib tutorial and man page.

What if I prefer not to use a RESTful to access NDFD web services?

Please visit the following web pages:

NDFD SOAP Service Home page

NWS XML Services Change Notices

Below are listed recent change notices for NWS XML services. A complete listing is available. An RSS feed of the change notices is also available. These notices are used to announce major changes, schema changes and new services.

NDFD-XML: For SSL security, instances of "http" changed to "https" where appropriate for the NDFD Web Service
For more information see the Implementation Notice
NDFD-XML: Add new hazard translations for SS.A, SS.W, BH.S, and RP.S
Four new Hazards Codes, beach hazards (BH.S), rip currents (RP.S), and storm surge (SS.A and SS.W) were added for the NDFD Web Service.
NDFD-XML: Outdated MapClick links changed in moreWeatherInformation XML tag
Outdated MapClick links changed for the NDFD Web Service. The moreWeatherInformation tag was previously in the form: http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?textField1=38.99textField2=-77.01. It has been updated to: https://forecast.weather.gov/point/38.99,-77.01

Changes list last updated Thursday 01st 1970f January 1970 12:00:00 AM