Glossary
A reference of terms used throughout the AccuWeather Enterprise API documentation.
Admin Code
Administrative area code (e.g., state or province). See the Administrative Areas reference for details.
Alias
Alternate names for a location, accounting for:
- Common alternate spellings (Saint Louis, St. Louis, St Louis)
- Historical names (Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon)
- Accepted alternate names (Derry, Londonderry)
Control the inclusion of aliases in search results with the alias parameter. Valid values: Never, Always, NoOfficialMatchFound (default).
API Key
A unique code used for identification and authorization. Required on every API request via the apikey query parameter. Contact sales@accuweather.com to receive an Enterprise API key, or visit the Developer Portal for a free demo key.
Base URLs
| Environment | Hostname |
|---|---|
| Development | https://apidev.accuweather.com |
| Production | https://api.accuweather.com |
Use the development hostname for testing only. Production applications must use the production hostname.
Basin ID
Identifies a geographic basin for tropical cyclone data:
| Code | Basin |
|---|---|
| AL | North Atlantic |
| EP | Eastern Pacific |
| NP | Northwest Pacific |
| SP | Southwestern Pacific |
| NI | North Indian |
| SI | South Indian |
Constituent Country
A country which makes up part of a larger entity or federation. For example, the United Kingdom consists of four constituent countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Country Code
Two-character ISO country code (e.g., US, GB, FR).
CSV
Comma-Separated Values — a tabular data format where each value is separated by a comma. Supported as an alternative output format by select endpoints such as the Historical API.
Depression ID
The unique depression number assigned to a tropical cyclone by the issuing authority.
details
A boolean value (true/false) specifying whether to include extended information in the response. Default: false.
GeoJSON
A JSON-based format for encoding geographic data structures. Supported by select API endpoints.
GMT Offset
The difference in hours from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT/UTC) for a given location. If using this value to calculate local times, you must observe the NextOffsetChange property to account for Daylight Saving Time transitions. See Best Practices for details.
HTTPS
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure — the secure transport protocol required for all API requests. Plain HTTP requests are not accepted.
JSON
JavaScript Object Notation — the default response format for all API endpoints. A lightweight, human-readable data interchange format.
JSONP
JSON with Padding — a legacy technique for cross-domain requests. Available using parse_response as the callback parameter. Modern integrations should use standard CORS-enabled requests instead.
language
A string indicating the language in which to return the resource (e.g., language=fr-FR). Default: en-us. See Language Support.
limit
An integer specifying the number of resources to return. Default: 25.
Localization
The process of translating information into different languages or adapting content for a specific country or region. The API supports 200+ languages and dialects — see Language Support for the full list.
Location Key
A unique ID that designates a specific location. Use the Locations API to search for the appropriate location key. Also referred to as City ID in some contexts.
max
An integer specifying the maximum total list size. Cannot exceed 100. Default: 100.
offset
An integer that, along with limit, determines the starting position for paginated results. Default: 0.
POI Type
A categorized point of interest such as an airport, stadium, or park. See the full list of POI types.
q
Query or search text used in location searches (e.g., q=New York).
Rank
A number applied to locations based on factors such as population, political importance, and geographic size. Search results are returned in rank order. A lower rank number represents greater significance — a value of 10 is the highest possible rank.
RealFeel® Phrase
A brief text description of how the weather really feels based on the RealFeel® Temperature value (e.g., "Pleasant", "Cold", "Dangerous heat"). See the RealFeel® Phrase Reference for the full table of phrases and their temperature ranges.
RealFeel® Temperature
An AccuWeather proprietary index that describes what the temperature really feels like, accounting for wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, and other factors. Learn more about RealFeel® Temperature.
RealFeel® Temperature Shade
A variant of the RealFeel® Temperature index that calculates the perceived temperature in the shade rather than direct sunlight.
Resolution
A measure of image sharpness, specified as pixel dimensions (e.g., 1024x1024). See the Imagery API and Imagery Resolution Reference for available options.
REST
Representational State Transfer — the architectural style used by the AccuWeather API. All resources are accessed via standard HTTP methods (GET) using predictable URL patterns.
start / end
Date values indicating the start and end of a date range for time-bound queries.
Tropical Status
A short phrase describing the current classification of a tropical weather event. See the Tropical Status Reference for the complete list of all possible values.
Verified Location
A location that has been verified by AccuWeather's primary location data provider. Verified locations:
- Are always returned at the top of search results
- Are the only locations used in GeoLookup and AutoComplete searches
- Are the only locations supported for localizations (translations)
An unverified location can be added to the verified list provided there is credible information to confirm the latitude/longitude, name, country, and primary administrative code.