Documentation

Fire Weather Index API

Fire Weather Index API concept

This product provides users with current and forecast Fire Weather Index data for any coordinates on the globe. Data is available in the JSON format. Fire Weather Index forecast is available for 5 days ahead with a daily step.

You could obtain current and forecast fire weather index data as map product. Read more about Fire Weather Map here.

Fire Weather Index API is designed to help users to estimate current and forecast fire danger. Predictions of fire danger conditions based on the Canadian Forest Service Fire Weather Index Rating System (FWI).

Fire Weather Index (FWI) is a numerical rating of the potential frontal fire intensity and indicates fire intensity by combining the rate of fire spread with the amount of fuel being consumed.

Fire Weather Index range values

FWI is classified in 6 classes of danger (very low, low, medium, high, very high and extreme). The fire danger classes are the same for all countries and show a harmonized picture of the spatial distribution of fire danger level. The following are the FWI values used as thresholds of the fire danger classes:

Fire danger class number	Fire danger class name	FWI ranges (upper bound excluded)
0	Very low	<5.2
1	Low	5.2-11.2
2	Moderate	11.2-21.3
3	High	21.3-38.0
4	Very high	38.0-50.0
5	Extreme	≥50

How to get access to Fire Weather Index data

Sign up to OpenWeather service in case you haven't got your API key yet.
Contact us via email to get access to our Fire Weather Index API.
Just make an API call according to the tech documentation for Current and Forecast Fire Weather Index API below, remembering to add your key to each call.

To learn more about Fire Weather Index API (how to make an API call, samples, parameters), please read the next sections of the documentation.

Call Current Fire Weather Index data

To get access to current Fire Weather Index data, please use this section of the documentation. Please read the Call Forecast Fire Weather Index data section in case you are looking for forecast of fire weather index dataset.

How to make an API call

https://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/fwi?lat={lat}&lon={lon}&appid={API key}

Parameters
`lat`	required	Latitude. If you need the geocoder to automatic convert city names and zip-codes to geo coordinates and the other way around, please use our Geocoding API
`lon`	required	Longitude. If you need the geocoder to automatic convert city names and zip-codes to geo coordinates and the other way around, please use our Geocoding API
`appid`	required	Your unique API key (you can always find it on your account page under the "API key" tab)

Example of API call

https://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/fwi?lat=24&lon=-103&appid={API key}

Example of API response

{
  "coord": {
     "lon":-103,
     "lat": 24
 },
  "list": [
    {
     "main": {
        "fwi":70.53
     },
     "danger_rating:{
        "description:"Extreme",
        "value": "5"
    },
    "dt": "1677142800",
    }
  ]
}

lat Latitude of the location, decimal (-90; 90)
lon Longitude of the location, decimal (-180; 180)
list
- main
  - fwiFire Weather Index range value
- danger_rating
  - description Fire danger class name
  - value Fire danger class number
- dtTime of current data, Unix, UTC. Please pay attention that time in the API responce equvalent midday local time is showing

Call Forecast Fire Weather Index data

To get access to the forecast with daily step for 5 next days for Fire Weather Index data, please use this section of the documentation. Please read the Call current Fire Weather Index data section in case you are looking for current fire weather index dataset.

How to make an API call

API call

https://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/fwi/forecast?lat={lat}&lon={lon}&appid={API key}

Parameters
`lat`	required	Latitude. If you need the geocoder to automatic convert city names and zip-codes to geo coordinates and the other way around, please use our Geocoding API
`lon`	required	Longitude. If you need the geocoder to automatic convert city names and zip-codes to geo coordinates and the other way around, please use our Geocoding API
`appid`	required	Your unique API key (you can always find it on your account page under the "API key" tab)

Example of API call

https://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/fwi/forecast?lat=35&lon=-102&appid={API key}

Example of API response

{
  "coord": {
    "lon":-102,
    "lat": 35
  },
  "list": [
    {
     "main": {
        "fwi": 21.23
      },
      "danger_rating:{
         "description:"Moderate",
         "value": "2"
      },
     "dt": "1677142800"
   },
    {
    "main": {
       "fwi": 11.61
     },
     "danger_rating:{
        "description:"Moderate",
        "value": "2"
     },
     "dt": "1677229200"
   },
    {
    "main": {
       "fwi": 39.04
     },
     "danger_rating:{
        "description:"Very high",
        "value": "4"
     },
    "dt": "1677315600"
   },
    {
    "main": {
       "fwi":  23.76
     },
     "danger_rating:{
        "description:"High",
        "value": "3"
     },
     "dt": "1677402000"
   },
    {
    "main": {
       "fwi":  46.33
     },
     "danger_rating:{
        "description:"Very high",
        "value": "4"
     },
     "dt": "1677488400"
   },
    {
    "main": {
       "fwi":  61.57
     },
     "danger_rating:{
        "description:"Extreme",
        "value": "5"
     },
     "dt": "1677574800"
    }
  ]
}

Fields in API response

lat Latitude of the location,decimal (-90; 90)
lon Longitude of the location,decimal (-180; 180)
list
- main
  - fwiFire Weather Index range value
- danger_rating
  - description Fire danger class name
  - value Fire danger class number
- dtTime of current data, Unix, UTC. Please pay attention that time in the API responce equvalent midday local time is showing

API errors

You could find information about some popular errors here.

Fire danger class number

Fire danger class name

FWI ranges (upper bound excluded)

Very low

<5.2

Low

5.2-11.2

Moderate

11.2-21.3

High

21.3-38.0

Very high

38.0-50.0

Extreme

≥50

Parameters

lat

required

Latitude. If you need the geocoder to automatic convert city names and zip-codes to geo coordinates and the other way around, please use our Geocoding API

lon

required

Longitude. If you need the geocoder to automatic convert city names and zip-codes to geo coordinates and the other way around, please use our Geocoding API

appid

required

Your unique API key (you can always find it on your account page under the "API key" tab)

{ "coord": { "lon":-103, "lat": 24 }, "list": [ { "main": { "fwi":70.53 }, "danger_rating:{ "description:"Extreme", "value": "5" }, "dt": "1677142800", } ] }

Parameters

lat

required

Latitude. If you need the geocoder to automatic convert city names and zip-codes to geo coordinates and the other way around, please use our Geocoding API

lon

required

Longitude. If you need the geocoder to automatic convert city names and zip-codes to geo coordinates and the other way around, please use our Geocoding API

appid

required

Your unique API key (you can always find it on your account page under the "API key" tab)

Example of API response

{
  "coord": {
    "lon":-102,
    "lat": 35
  },
  "list": [
    {
     "main": {
        "fwi": 21.23
      },
      "danger_rating:{
         "description:"Moderate",
         "value": "2"
      },
     "dt": "1677142800"
   },
    {
    "main": {
       "fwi": 11.61
     },
     "danger_rating:{
        "description:"Moderate",
        "value": "2"
     },
     "dt": "1677229200"
   },
    {
    "main": {
       "fwi": 39.04
     },
     "danger_rating:{
        "description:"Very high",
        "value": "4"
     },
    "dt": "1677315600"
   },
    {
    "main": {
       "fwi":  23.76
     },
     "danger_rating:{
        "description:"High",
        "value": "3"
     },
     "dt": "1677402000"
   },
    {
    "main": {
       "fwi":  46.33
     },
     "danger_rating:{
        "description:"Very high",
        "value": "4"
     },
     "dt": "1677488400"
   },
    {
    "main": {
       "fwi":  61.57
     },
     "danger_rating:{
        "description:"Extreme",
        "value": "5"
     },
     "dt": "1677574800"
    }
  ]
}