Aviation Weather Center · Rate Limits

Aviationweather Rate Limits

The AviationWeather.gov public Data API is rate-limited per consumer (IP-based, no API key required) at 100 requests per minute. In addition, the docs request that no single endpoint be polled more frequently than once per minute per thread. Most endpoints return a maximum of 400 entries per response. The historical depth of the database is up to 15 days. Limits apply uniformly to all formats (raw, decoded, json, geojson, xml, iwxxm) and to all endpoints including reference data (stations, airports, navaids). Exceeding the limits results in temporary access blocks; the docs encourage waiting between consecutive requests and caching responses for short windows. No paid tier or raise-via-support process is published — the service is funded as a public good by NOAA/NWS.

Aviationweather Rate Limits is the machine-readable rate-limit profile for Aviation Weather Center on the APIs.io network, in the API Commons Rate Limits shape.

It captures 4 rate-limit definitions, measuring requests_per_minute and varies.

An exhausted limit returns HTTP 429.

This profile was written by API Evangelist and has not been verified against a page the provider published; treat every limit as unconfirmed until a dated transcription replaces it.

The profile also includes 7 backoff/retry policies defined and response codes documented for throttled, invalidInput, and serverError.

Tagged areas include Rate Limiting, Government, Weather, Aviation, and Open Data.

4 Limits Exhausted: HTTP 429
Method: generated, dated 2026-05-29.
Written by API Evangelist on 2026-05-29 and not verified against a page the provider published. Treat every limit as unconfirmed until a dated transcription replaces it.
View Source
Rate LimitingGovernmentWeatherAviationOpen DataNOAA NWS

Limits

Global request rate per consumer IP
requests_per_minute · minute
100
Applies globally to the consumer (identified by source IP since there is no API key). Exceeding this returns HTTP 429 and may trigger a temporary block. Documented at aviationweather.gov/data/api/.
Per-endpoint polling cap IP/endpoint/thread
requests_per_minute · minute
1
No single endpoint should be consumed more frequently than once per minute from a single thread. This is the recommended minimum interval between calls to the same path from the same client thread.
Response entry cap response
varies
400 entries per response
Most endpoints return at most 400 records per response. Use bbox/ids narrowing or pagination via temporal parameters (date, hours, age) to stay within the cap.
Historical depth dataset
varies
15 days
The weather database currently allows access to up to the previous 15 days of data. Older data is not available via this API and must be obtained from NOAA archives (NCEI).

Policies

No authentication
The API does not require an API key. Limits are enforced per source IP, so consumers behind NAT or shared egress IPs share quota.
Wait between requests
The provider recommends waiting between consecutive requests rather than issuing tight loops. Combined with the 1 req/min per-endpoint recommendation, this favors batched polling over fan-out.
Cache short-window results
METARs typically update at 5-10 minute intervals (or on SPECI events); TAFs at 6-hour intervals plus amendments. Caching responses for at least one minute is appropriate and reduces load.
No paid tier
There is no raise-via-support or paid uplift. Consumers needing higher throughput should use NOAA WIFS (Weather Information For System) or FAA SWIM for operational bulk distribution.
Retry on 429
On HTTP 429, back off for at least one minute before retrying. There is no documented Retry-After header at this time, so use a fixed minimum backoff of 60 seconds with jitter.
Use appropriate selector
Prefer `ids` (ICAO list) or `bbox` (bounding box) to limit returned records rather than scanning all data and filtering client-side. `@` selectors (e.g. `@KS`) return all stations in a U.S. state.
Public domain output
Output data is U.S. Government Work (public domain) per the NWS disclaimer. Attribution to NOAA/NWS/AWC is encouraged but not legally required.

Sources

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