Minutely API method returns the rain rate for the next hour in 5 minute steps, with a one-line summary such as
"Light rain starting in about 15 minutes, stopping about 20 minutes later." Use it for "rain soon" notifications,
delivery and field work planning, or a next-hour rain chart in your app.
Where we have weather radar (the United States including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Guam from NOAA MRMS, Germany from the German Weather Service DWD, the Netherlands from KNMI, France from Météo-France, Czechia from CHMI, Denmark from DMI, Finland from FMI, Sweden from SMHI, and most of Europe from the EUMETNET OPERA composite),
the values come from the latest radar observation and a radar nowcast that moves the rain forward, updated every 2 to 5 minutes.
Everywhere else they come from our hourly forecast model, interpolated to 5 minutes. The source field tells you which.
More radar countries will be added.
Available on Starter and above (paid plans and trials); on the Free plan the request returns error 2009. Each request counts as one API call.
Live example
Live demo: next-hour rain
Example request
https://api.weatherapi.com/v1/minutely.json?key=<YOUR_API_KEY>&q=40.71,-74.01
Request parameters
| Parameter | Required | Description |
|---|
| key | Yes | Your API key. |
| q | Yes | Location: latitude,longitude (recommended), city name, postcode, IP address and the other formats listed under Request Parameters. |
Response: minutely
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
| source | string | radar (radar observation and nowcast) or model (hourly forecast, interpolated). |
| provider | string | Where the data comes from, e.g. "NOAA MRMS (United States) observation and nowcast". |
| issued, issued_epoch | string, int | Time of the radar observation (or of the model step) the values start from; local time and Unix time. |
| interval_minutes | int | Minutes between steps (5). |
| summary | string | One line describing the next hour, ready to show to people. |
| minute | array | One item per step from now to about 60 minutes ahead. |
| minute[].time, time_epoch | string, int | Step time: local time and Unix time. |
| minute[].precip_mm_h, precip_in_h | decimal | Rain rate in millimetres and inches per hour (below 0.1 mm/h is shown as 0). |
| minute[].intensity | string | none, light (under 2.5 mm/h), moderate (under 10), heavy (under 50) or violent. |
Example response
{
"location": {
"name": "New York",
"region": "New York",
"country": "United States of America",
"lat": 40.71,
"lon": -74.01,
"tz_id": "America/New_York",
"localtime_epoch": 1793709720,
"localtime": "2026-11-03 7:42"
},
"minutely": {
"source": "radar",
"provider": "NOAA MRMS (United States) observation and nowcast",
"issued_epoch": 1793709600,
"issued": "2026-11-03 07:40",
"interval_minutes": 5,
"summary": "Moderate rain starting in about 15 minutes, stopping about 30 minutes later.",
"minute": [
{ "time_epoch": 1793709600, "time": "2026-11-03 07:40", "precip_mm_h": 0.0, "precip_in_h": 0.0, "intensity": "none" },
{ "time_epoch": 1793709900, "time": "2026-11-03 07:45", "precip_mm_h": 0.0, "precip_in_h": 0.0, "intensity": "none" },
{ "time_epoch": 1793710200, "time": "2026-11-03 07:50", "precip_mm_h": 0.0, "precip_in_h": 0.0, "intensity": "none" },
{ "time_epoch": 1793710500, "time": "2026-11-03 07:55", "precip_mm_h": 1.8, "precip_in_h": 0.071, "intensity": "light" },
{ "time_epoch": 1793710800, "time": "2026-11-03 08:00", "precip_mm_h": 4.6, "precip_in_h": 0.181, "intensity": "moderate" },
{ "time_epoch": 1793711100, "time": "2026-11-03 08:05", "precip_mm_h": 6.2, "precip_in_h": 0.244, "intensity": "moderate" },
{ "time_epoch": 1793711400, "time": "2026-11-03 08:10", "precip_mm_h": 3.1, "precip_in_h": 0.122, "intensity": "moderate" },
{ "time_epoch": 1793711700, "time": "2026-11-03 08:15", "precip_mm_h": 1.2, "precip_in_h": 0.047, "intensity": "light" },
{ "time_epoch": 1793712000, "time": "2026-11-03 08:20", "precip_mm_h": 0.3, "precip_in_h": 0.012, "intensity": "light" },
{ "time_epoch": 1793712300, "time": "2026-11-03 08:25", "precip_mm_h": 0.0, "precip_in_h": 0.0, "intensity": "none" },
{ "time_epoch": 1793712600, "time": "2026-11-03 08:30", "precip_mm_h": 0.0, "precip_in_h": 0.0, "intensity": "none" },
{ "time_epoch": 1793712900, "time": "2026-11-03 08:35", "precip_mm_h": 0.0, "precip_in_h": 0.0, "intensity": "none" },
{ "time_epoch": 1793713200, "time": "2026-11-03 08:40", "precip_mm_h": 0.0, "precip_in_h": 0.0, "intensity": "none" }
]
}
}
For a rain map to go with it, see the Radar API.