Observed precipitation history
Radar + gauge fusion. 60% more accurate than a NOAA HRRR forecast, with 275% better rainfall detection.
Precip for developers
The hyperlocal weather API for your own stack.
Query 1 km observed rainfall and snowfall, our 60-minute radar nowcast, a 2.5 km 10-day hourly forecast, and root-zone soil conditions at any coordinate. Available via REST API, map tiles, ArcGIS ImageServer, iframe embeds, and MCP.
GET https://api.precip.ai/api/v1/hourly REST JSON / GeoJSON / CSV
const response = await fetch(
"https://api.precip.ai/api/v1/hourly?latitude=42.2808&longitude=-83.7430&start=2026-10-01&end=2026-10-07&format=json",
{
headers: {
Accept: "application/json",
Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.PRECIP_API_KEY}`,
},
}
);
const data = await response.json(); 37/38
next-hour rain tests won vs Apple Weather, Google Weather,
Tomorrow.io, and Rainbow.ai (benchmark)
72/75
10-day forecast tests won vs ECMWF IFS HRES and Google WeatherNext 3 (benchmark)
60%
more accurate historical rainfall totals than a NOAA HRRR forecast (benchmark)
1 km
spatial resolution for observed rain, snow, and 60-minute nowcast in
the U.S.
What you can query
Observations and forecasts from one coordinate API.
Most weather APIs hand you a coarse forecast when you ask for yesterday's rain. Precip separates measured ground truth from the forecast and stitches them together at the current hour.
Next-hour rain nowcast
#1 in 37 of 38 live station tests vs Apple Weather, Google Weather, Tomorrow.io, and Rainbow.ai.
10-day hourly forecast
Temperature, humidity, wind, rain, and chance of rain. Wins 72 of 75 tests vs ECMWF IFS HRES and Google WeatherNext 3.
Snowfall & snow depth
Observed liquid-equivalent snowfall plus current snowpack depth across the U.S. and Canada.
Soil moisture & soil temperature
Volumetric and relative root-zone soil moisture, soil temperature, saturation depth, and surface ponding.
Surface weather & solar
2 m air temperature, dew point, relative and specific humidity, 10 m wind speed, gusts, direction, pressure, cloud cover, and solar radiation.
Five ways to integrate
Built for apps, GIS, and AI agents.
Use standard REST endpoints for backend pipelines, remote MCP or x402 for AI agents, Esri ImageServer for GIS, or a drop-in iframe when you do not want to build charts from scratch.
AI assistants & agents (MCP)
Give Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor live weather tools.
Precip runs a remote Model Context Protocol (MCP) server at https://api.precip.ai/mcp. Connect with OAuth sign-in
or pass a Bearer API key to give any MCP client 20 tools for
observed rainfall, hourly and minutely forecasts, snow depth, soil
moisture, and saved locations.
mcp.json Claude · ChatGPT · Cursor
{
"mcpServers": {
"precip": {
"url": "https://api.precip.ai/mcp"
}
}
}Autonomous pay-per-use (x402)
Query weather with zero signup using x402.
Building an autonomous agent or running a one-off script? Call https://api.precip.ai/x402/... or https://api.precip.ai/mcp-x402 with no account and no
API key. Requests are priced per lookup (for example, $0.002 for one
day of hourly precipitation at a point) and settled automatically via
the HTTP 402 payment header.
x402-fetch (Node.js & Python) No API key required
import { wrapFetchWithPayment } from "x402-fetch";
import { privateKeyToAccount } from "viem/accounts";
const account = privateKeyToAccount(process.env.PRIVATE_KEY);
const fetchWithPayment = wrapFetchWithPayment(fetch, account);
const res = await fetchWithPayment(
"https://api.precip.ai/x402/api/v1/last-48?latitude=37.7749&longitude=-122.4194"
);
const data = await res.json();GIS & web map tiles
XYZ raster tiles and Esri ArcGIS ImageServer.
Add Precip's precipitation, temperature, wind, and soil layers directly into Mapbox GL, MapLibre, Leaflet, OpenLayers, QGIS, ArcGIS Pro, or ArcGIS Online. Time-enabled ImageServer layers support time sliders, legends, and point identify queries out of the box.
XYZ Tiles & ArcGIS ImageServer EPSG:3857
// MapLibre / Mapbox GL / Leaflet XYZ raster tiles
const tileUrl =
"https://api.precip.ai/api/v1/map/last-48/ImageServer/tile/{z}/{y}/{x}?apiKey=" +
PRECIP_API_KEY;
// Esri ArcGIS JS SDK / ArcGIS Pro / ArcGIS Online ImageServer
const layer = new ImageryLayer({
url: "https://api.precip.ai/api/v1/map/last-48/ImageServer?apiKey=" + PRECIP_API_KEY,
});Embeddable UI
Drop a complete weather page into your app in one line.
The /embed/location endpoint renders a themeable,
mobile-ready weather view for any coordinate. Choose light or dark
mode, imperial or metric units, and the exact cards your users need.
HTML iframe embed CORS-enabled
<iframe
src="https://api.precip.ai/embed/location?lat=42.2808&lon=-83.7430&units=imperial&apiKey=YOUR_API_KEY"
style="width: 100%; height: 460px; border: 0; border-radius: 12px;"
title="Precip Weather"
></iframe>Access & rate limits
Start free or with your existing Precip plan.
Test in an AI assistant for free, use the personal API key included with any Precip app subscription, pay per call with x402, or move to a commercial plan without changing your integration.
Free (MCP) $0
Connect MCP →
AI assistants (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Grok)
25 weather lookups / month · 10 / min · 1 location · 31-day span
Personal API key Included with any app plan
Get a personal key →
Home Assistant, personal scripts, hobby projects
100 requests / day · 10 / min · 1 location · 31-day span
Pay-per-use (x402) From $0.002 / lookup
Read x402 docs →
Autonomous AI agents, one-off backfills, no-signup scripts
No account or subscription required · paid per request in USDC
Commercial & Enterprise Custom
Book a demo →
Production apps, GIS platforms, ag/construction/insurance teams
High rate limits · multi-location batching · bulk exports · map tiles & embeds
Open research archive
Read our 5-minute nowcast archive in xarray and Zarr v3.
Every real-time CONUS run of Precip's 5-minute precipitation nowcast is published to a public Icechunk / Zarr v3 repository 24 hours after initialization so meteorologists and researchers can verify our forecasts independently. No API key required.
Python · icechunk + xarray Public Zarr v3 store
import icechunk, xarray as xr
repo = icechunk.Repository.open(
icechunk.http_storage("https://api.precip.ai/icechunk/precip-rate-v4/5min")
)
ds = xr.open_zarr(repo.readonly_session("main").store, group="mrms_native", consolidated=False)
rate = ds.precipitation_rate # mm/h, dims (init_time, lead_time, latitude, longitude)Common questions
Developer FAQ
How does the Precip Weather API compare with IBM Environmental Intelligence (The Weather Company), Tomorrow.io, Open-Meteo, or Visual Crossing?
Legacy enterprise providers like IBM Environmental Intelligence Suite (The Weather Company APIs) split observations, forecasts, and agriculture/soil layers into separate SKUs and rely on ~4 km precipitation grids or uncalibrated personal weather stations. Other APIs like Visual Crossing or Open-Meteo return coarse model forecasts or distant airport stations when you query historical weather. Precip serves a unified API with 1 km radar-and-gauge observations (16x finer area than a 4 km grid and 60% more accurate than a NOAA HRRR forecast), an in-house 1 km 60-minute radar nowcast (#1 in 37 of 38 live NOAA gauge and radar tests), a 2.5 km downscaled 10-day hourly forecast (#1 in 72 of 75 tests against ECMWF IFS HRES and Google WeatherNext 3), and root-zone soil moisture and temperature.
How do I get a Precip API key?
Every paid Precip app plan (starting at $24.99/year) includes a personal API key with 100 requests per day for non-commercial use, such as Home Assistant or personal dashboards. Open Settings -> API & AI assistants in the Precip app to copy your key. For commercial applications, higher rate limits, multi-location batching, or map tiles, book a demo and we will upgrade your key with no code changes.
Can AI agents and LLMs query Precip directly?
Yes. Precip hosts a remote Model Context Protocol (MCP) server at https://api.precip.ai/mcp with 20 weather and location tools for Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and custom agents. Free accounts include 25 lookups per month via OAuth sign-in. Autonomous agents without an account can also pay per request using the x402 protocol at https://api.precip.ai/mcp-x402 and https://api.precip.ai/x402/...
Does Precip support Mapbox, MapLibre, Leaflet, and Esri ArcGIS?
Yes. Precip serves Web Mercator XYZ raster tiles for Mapbox GL, MapLibre, Leaflet, and OpenLayers, as well as time-enabled Esri ImageServer endpoints (/api/v1/map/{serviceName}/ImageServer) that work natively in ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, and QGIS.
Can I embed Precip charts and maps without building my own UI?
Yes. The /embed/location endpoint renders a responsive, themeable weather dashboard in a single iframe tag. Pass latitude, longitude, units, and widget options in the URL query string.
Ready to build?
Explore the endpoints or talk to our engineering team.
Read the interactive OpenAPI reference at api-docs.precip.ai or schedule a call to scope a commercial integration.