The Weather plug-in can pass on to the Control plug-in, the web and MQTT the current weather info in Table 2, if available in the retrieved weather data.
Table 2 - Current Weather Control Variables
* Case sensitive
| Control Variable* | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Station | Station ID of reporting station | KMLB |
| SStation1 | Search Station ID | KMLB |
| ZipCode1,5 | Search Zip code | 32901 |
| Location | Location of reporting station | Melbourne International Airport, FL |
| Country1 | Country of reporting station | USA |
| CityCode2 | Search City code | 132681 |
| Lat1 | Search Latitude | 40 |
| Long1 | Search Longitude | -75 |
| ObservationTime | Time of latest observation | Last Updated on Jan 3, 1:53 PM7 |
| ObservationTimerfc822 | Latest observation in ARPA format | Thu, 3 Jan 2022 13:53:00 -0400 EDT |
| Weather | Current conditions9 | Light Rain |
| WeatherCond4 | Current conditions details | See Note 9 |
| WeatherId | Weather ID9 | 500 | Temp | Temperature string in F & C | 77 F (25 C) | </tr>
| TempF | Temperature in degrees F | 77 |
| TempC | Temperature in degrees C | 25 |
| Humidity | Relative humidity | 90 |
| Wind8 | Wind condition string | From the South at 10 MPH Gusting to 23 MPH |
| WindDir | Wind direction string | South |
| WindDegrees | Wind direction in degrees | 180 |
| WindMPH | Wind speed in MPH | 10 |
| WindKPH | Wind speed in KPH | 6 |
| WindKTS | Wind speed in Knots | 16 |
| WindBft | Wind speed in Beaufort scale | 3 |
| WindGustMPH | Wind gusts in MPH | 23 |
| WindGustKPH | Wind gusts in KPH | 37 |
| WindGustKTS | Wind gusts in Knots | 20 |
| Pressure | Barometric pressure string | 29.92" (or: 1013 mb, 760.0 mm) |
| PressureIn | Pressure in inches | 29.92 |
| PressureMb | Pressure in Millibars | 1013 |
| PressureMm | Pressure in Millimeters | 760.0 |
| PressureRate2 | Barometric pressure change string | - |
| PressureRateIn2 | Pressure change in inches | - |
| PressureRateMb2 | Pressure change in Millibars | - |
| PressureRateMm2 | Pressure change in Millimeters | - |
| Dewpoint | Dew point string in F & C | 40F (4 C) |
| DewpointF | Dew point temperature in F | 40 |
| DewpointC | Dew point temperature in C | 4 |
| HeatIndex3 | Heat index string in F & C | 75F (24 C) |
| HeatIndexF3 | Heat index temperature in F | 75 |
| HeatIndexC3 | Heat index temperature in C | 24 |
| Windchill3 | Wind chill string in F & C | 36F (2 C) |
| WindchillF3 | Wind chill temperature in F | 36 |
| WindchillC3 | Wind chill temperature in C | 2 |
| FeelsLike4,6 | "Feels like" temp in current units | 75 |
| Uvi4 | UV index | 3.5 |
| VisibilityMi | Visibility in miles | 10 |
| VisibilityKm | Visibility in meters | 16100 |
| Clouds4 | Cloud Cover in percent | 50 |
| WeatherIcon | File name of current weather icon9 | ra.png (NWS), 01d.png (OpenWeather) |
| SunRise4 | Today's Sunrise | 07:58:01 AM7 |
| SunSet4 | Today's Sunset | 06:18:10 PM7 |
| IconBase | Web link to icon database | https://openweathermap.org/img/wn |
| FetchTime | Time of last connection attempt | Mar 08, 09:18:00 PM7 |
| FetchStatus | Status of last connection | Succeeded or Failed |
| SearchType1 | station selection type | H (for HV User Location) |
Notes:
1 These items are the values to use for station selection, based on the value of SearchType. The actual station selected may have values different from these.
2 No longer supported.
3 For NWS, downloaded values are used if available, otherwise calculated. If OpenWeather, these are always calculated.
4 OpenWeather only.
5 Certain zip codes beginning with zeros and with the rest containing only digits in the range 0-7 will be misinterpreted by the Control plug-in as an octal number. To prevent this, when sent to the control plug-in, a zip code has 5 spaces and "ZC" appended to it (to force it to be handled as a string instead of a number). A Control plug-in widget should then use the printf style and %.5s as the spec. Since zip codes may not even be available, it might be easier to just use FcLoc.
6 Temperatures are expressed according to the Temp Scale setting in the General Settings tab.
7 Time and Date are expressed according to the Time Format setting in the General Settings tab.
8 Winds are expressed according to the Wind Speed setting in the General Settings tab.
9 See Notes on WeatherCon Variables.
The Weather plug-in can pass on to the Control plug-in, the web and MQTT the forecast weather info in Table 3, if available in the retrieved weather data.
| Control Variable* | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| FcCity1 | City of reporting station | Melbourne |
| FcState1 | State of reporting station | FL |
| FcZip2 | Search Zip code | 32901 ZC |
| FcCountry1 | Country of reporting station | US |
| FcLoc1,3 | Location of reporting station | Melbourne, FL 32901 |
| FcLat2 | Search Latitude | 40 |
| FcLong2 | Search Longitude | -75 |
| FcDaym, FcDaynm | Forecast day, night for day m (m = 1-7) | Monday, Monday Night |
| FcScm, FcScnm5 | Short forecast for day, night m10 | Mostly Cloudy (NWS), 803 (Weather ID for OpenWeather) |
| FcLcm, FcLcnm5 | Long forecast for day, night m10 | Mostly cloudy |
| FcWeatherCondm7 | Weather conditions for day m | See Note 11 |
| FcWeatherSumm7 | Conversational conditions for day m | Expect a day of partly cloudy with rain |
| FcHim6 | High temperature for day m | 75 |
| FcLom6 | Low temperature for day m | 50 |
| FcTempMornm6,7 | Morning temperature for day m | 60 |
| FcTempDaym6,7 | Daytime temperature for day m | 72 |
| FcTempEvem6,7 | Evening temperature for day m | 65 |
| FcTempNitem6,7 | Nighttime temperature for day m | 50 |
| FcHumiditym7 | Humidity for day m | 50 |
| FcWindm7,10 | Wind condition string for day m | From the South at 10 MPH Gusting to 23 MPH |
| FcWindDirm7 | Wind direction string for day m | From the South |
| FcWindDegreesm7 | Wind direction in degrees for day m | 190 |
| FcWindMPHm7 | Wind in MPH for day m | 10 |
| FcWindKPHm7 | Wind in KPH for day m | 16 |
| FcWindKTSm7 | Wind in Knots for day m | 7 |
| FcWindGustMPHm7 | Wind gusts in MPH for day m | 23 |
| FcWindGustKPHm7 | Wind gusts in KPH for day m | 37 |
| FcWindGustKTSm7 | Wind gusts in Knots for day m | 20 |
| FcPressureInm7 | Pressure in inches for day m | 29.92 |
| FcPressureMbm7 | Pressure in millibars for day m | 1013 |
| FcPressureMmm7 | Pressure in millimeters for day m | 760.0 |
| FcDewpointm6,7 | Dewpoint for day m | 50 |
| FcFLHim6,7,8 | High Feels Like temperature for day m | 75 |
| FcFLLom6,7,8 | Low Feels Like temperature for day m | 50 |
| FcFLMornm6,7 | Morning Feels Like temperature for day m | 60 |
| FcFLDaym6,7 | Daytime Feels Like temperature for day m | 70 |
| FcFLEvem6,7 | Evening Feels Like temperature for day m | 65 |
| FcFLNightm6,7 | Nighttime Feels Like temperature for day m | 50 |
| FcPopm, FcPopnm | Probability of precip. for day, night m | 10 |
| FcUvim7 | UV index | 3.5 |
| FcCloudsm7 | Cloud Cover in percent | 23 |
| FcSunRisem7 | Sunrise for day m | 07:58:45 AM9 |
| FcSunSetm7 | Sunset for day m | 06:18:01 PM9 |
| FcMoonRisem7 | Moon rise for day m | 07:58:45 AM9 |
| FcMoonSetm7 | Moon set for day m | 06:18:01 PM9 |
| FcMoonPhasem7 | Moon Phase for day m | Waxing Gibbous |
| FcImgm, FcImgnm | Forecast icon for day, night m | 01d.png |
| FcTime | Time of latest observation | Mon, 10 May 2010 19:00:00 EST9 |
| FcFetch4 | Time of last connection attempt | Mon, 10 May 2010 19:05:00 EST9 |
| FcFetchStatus4 | Status of last connection | Succeeded or Failed |
| FcIconBase4 | Current web link to icons | http://forecast.weather.gov/images/wtf/ |
| FcSStation2 | Search Station ID | KBLM |
| FcSearchType2 | Station selection type | Z (for ZipCode) |
Notes:
1 FcLoc is a combination of FcCity, FcState, zipcode, and FcCountry. Depending on search type, not all of these values may be available. For example, if the forecast is fetched by zip code, country typically is not returned. If not returned, these variables are set to an empty string, and FcLoc will consist of the remaining values.
2 These items are the values to use for station selection, based on the value of SearchType. The actual station selected may have values different from these.
3 Certain zip codes beginning with zeros and with the rest containing only digits in the range 0-7 will be misinterpreted by the Control plug-in as an octal number. To prevent this, when sent to the control plug-in, a zip code has 5 spaces and "ZC" appended to it (to force it to be handled as a string instead of a number). A Control plug-in widget should then use the printf style and %.5s as the spec. Since zip codes may not even be available, it might be easier to just use FcLoc.
4 Generated by plug-in.
5 OpenWeather sets a weather ID code in the short forecast and detailed text in the long forecast. NWS forecasts set both FcLc{n}m and FcSc{n}m to the same "short" text. In either case, both long and short forecasts are affected by the Line Length setting.
6 Temperatures are expressed according to the Temp Scale setting in the General Settings tab.
7 OpenWeather only.
8 Generated from highest/lowest of FcFLMorn, FcFLDay, FcFLEve and FcFLNight. Does not necessarily correspond to the same time period as FcHi, FcLo
9 Time and Date are expressed according to the Time Format setting in the General Settings tab.
10 Winds are expressed according to the Wind Speed setting in the General Settings tab.
11 See Notes on WeatherCon Variables.
Notes on WeatherCon Variables OpenWeather often provides more than one weather condition. If multiple conditions are present, they are ordered according to a "loose" definition of severity/interest. The weather condition(s) are stored as a list in WeatherCond and FcWeatherCondm. Then the separate variables (Weather, Icon, Id or FcLcm, FcImgm, FcScm) are taken from the first condition in the list.
For Control, WeatherCond and FcWeatherCondm are presented as lists of lists of weather information. Example:
{id 601 main Snow description snow icon 13d}
{id 741 main Fog description fog icon 50d}
For Web and MQTT, WeatherCond and FcWeatherCondm are presented as arrays of JSON-formated weather information. Example (formatted for readability):
{
"weathercond":[
{
"id":601,
"main":"Snow",
"description":"snow",
"icon":"13d"
},
{
"id":741,
"main":"Fog",
"description":"fog",
"icon":"50d"
}
]
}
WeatherCond is useful for MQTT where a client receiving the weather MQTT message can parse out the JSON format.
WeatherCond is probably not at all useful as a Control Variable, and unlikely useful for the Web, although you can select it for either.
Configuring Variables
Variables can be selected independently for sending to the Control plug-in, web pages via websockets, and to MQTT.
There are a large number of potential variables for current and forecast weather. To avoid having long lists of "user variables" in the Control plug-in, or sending unneeded information through the websocket or via MQTT, a subset of variables can be selected for each method.
- Open the Configuration dialog: Plugins->Weather.
- Select the Ctrl/Web/MQTT Vars tab.
- Select Control, Web, or MQTT in the Variable Type section.
- Select Current to see the Inactive and Active lists of current weather variables for that type. Variables on the Active list will be sent when weather information is fetched.
- To move a variable from one list to the other, double-click it or select the variable(s) and click on the corresponding arrow.
If only the current weather or only the forecast weather is being used, then ALL of the variables of the other type can be put on the Inactive list.
Moving a variable to the Inactive list only prevents that variable from being sent to the Control plug-in in the future. It does NOT explicitly remove it from the Control plug-in. To see newly inactive variable names disappear from the Control plug-in User Variable list, the Control plug-in may need to be restarted (disabled/enabled via the Plugin Manager, for example).
If weather info is being displayed on web pages via the weather websocket, select which variables are sent over the websocket by selecting Web. Then select Current and Forecast and move variables to the Active List to have them sent over the weather websocket. See Weather Websockets for set up details.
If weather info is being sent via MQTT, further setup is necessary. See MQTT Setup below.
NOTE: The Variable Lists contain ALL potential variables, independant of data source. Some variables may not be valid for certain configurations.
Control Screen Weather Variable Setup
Edit the control screen to add labels, buttons, etc. to display the values of the weather variables using the Control Variable names in Table 2 and Table 3. For example, to display the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit on a widget - add a new widget, select a style, and then setup the text tab on the label properties screen similar to this:
TempF variable. If only one weather variable is used in the widget, then Type can be set to User Variable and Object to the variable desired. If used in expressions, variable name should be surrounded by "${}". Remember that control variable names are case sensitive. See the Control plug-in Help for more information.
To display an icon depicting the current conditions, after adding a new widget and selecting a style, use the image tab to set up the name of the WeatherIcon control variable. The weather site updates icons according to both weather conditions and time of day. Note: not all icons have day and night versions, and any particular station may or may not use the night versions of the icons totally consistent with real time. METAR stations do not support night versions.
The weather icons are dynamically loaded as needed into a weather/images subdirectory of the plug-in directory. This directory should be used for the path to the icon file.
Since most icons are jpeg coded, the Pixane library needs to be loaded for the Control plug-in to display them properly. See the "Control Plug-in - Pixane library" help page for more info on loading Pixane.
Similar icons can be set up for forecast weather using the FcImg variables.
A more complete example of how various weather variables can be displayed is shown below. This display consists of three label widgets: one with just the names of the data, right-justified, a second one abutting it on the right, with data values left-justified, and a third one (like the above example) with just the weather icon image overlaid on the first one near the bottom.
MQTT Setup
When MQTT is selected in the Variable Type section, The MQTT Settings section is enabled for editing.
To send weather information via MQTT, define a State Topic to use. If you wish the state messages to be retained by the MQTT broker, check Set Retain Flag.
To control weather settings via MQTT, define a "Command Topic" to use.
See Weather with MQTT for complete details of the Weather with MQTT.
Next:
Forecast Examples
HV Controller Weather Variables
Local Weather Data Files
Speaking Weather Data
Triggering Weather Fetches
Weather Websockets
Custom Objects and Websockets
Weather Info for NetIO
Weather with MQTT
See Also:
Introduction to the Weather Plug-in
Web-Based Weather Data
Disclaimer