WeatherKit REST API new columns for CurrentWeather

My pipeline broke today as new fields were added for the current weather dataset:

  • cloudCoverLowAltPct
  • cloudCoverMidAltPct
  • cloudCoverHighAltPct

I presumed new fields would only be released in a new version of the API? Is there any way to use a specific version of the API that will not be subject to change?

The current weather REST API docs are here, which don't include these fields: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/weatherkitrestapi/currentweather/currentweatherdata

Breakage aside, are the new fields also values from 0 to 1 but with a name ending in Pct? Or do they seem to go from 0 to 100? Either way, seems a little sloppy. Hopefully this is just a pre-release thing they are trying out for now.

I've just noticed these (cloudCoverLowAltPct, cloudCoverMidAltPct, cloudCoverHighAltPct) appearing in return data for the forecastHourly dataset too. It didn't break anything (because I start on the assumption that return data for any data field may be null or missing completely), but I came here with similar questions/concerns.

(a) they're not in the docs::

(b) are these always provided, for all locations?

(c) are these now a permanent fixture in the REST API?

(d) naming seems very misleading as mentioned by @Scott... Pct suggests percent but they're definitely all in the range 0-1

Thanks.

You may want to file a Feedback on those questionable names before they get locked in and documented. With standard  verbosity and attention to detail I’d expect something like cloudCoverLowAltitude or cloudCoverAtLowAltitude. Definitely no Pct on the end. The existing cloudCover property shows that “cover” implies a fraction from 0 to 1.

(And strictly speaking, the documentation shouldn’t describe cloudCover as a “percentage.”)

Where is best to file this sort of feedback? I note that @FrameworksEngineer does seem to roam around and interact on this forum.

Thanks for your feedback.

  1. It is best not to rely on undocumented fields in the response. Something that appears without notice may disappear without notice as well.
  2. Fields in the hourly, daily, and current weather responses are defined for all locations.
  3. Thanks for your comments about the naming of cloudCover[Low|Mid|High]AltPct and the documentation of the cloudCover field as a percentage when its values are 0 - 1.

@AppleCare Staff @nialloriordan @Scott sure enough, these fields cloudCover[Low|Mid|High]AltPct have now vanished again without a trace. Which is a great shame :-(

WeatherKit REST API new columns for CurrentWeather
 
 
Q