MET Norway
Norwegian Meteorological Institute's free forecast, observation and ice APIs, behind the Yr service
Quick Overview
| Company | Norwegian Meteorological Institute (MET Norway) |
|---|---|
| Category | Weather API Providers |
| Headquarters | Norway, Norway |
| Founded | Not stated |
| EU Presence | Yes - Norway (EEA) |
| Data Location | Norway (public body; data centre location not stated) |
| Open Source | NLOD 2.0 and CC BY 4.0 for data; MIT for weather icons |
| GDPR Compliant | Public body in an EEA country |
| Self-Hosting | No |
| Main Features | Location Forecast, Airqualityforecast, Aviationforecast, Frost observation API, Gribfiles, Icemap, IsobaricGRIB |
| Pricing | Free; credit to MET Norway required |
| Best For | Developers who want an open government forecast API and can live without an SLA |
| Replaces | Tomorrow.io |
Detailed Review
This is a public-sector service rather than a commercial vendor. The developer portal says the institute wants to share its weather data so that people can build something useful, and lists products from location forecasts to ice maps.
The licensing page states that unless specified otherwise, data and products fall under the Norwegian Licence for Open Government Data 2.0 and Creative Commons 4.0 BY, with credit to the institute.
Product range
Location Forecast returns a forecast for any point on earth. Other listed products are an air-quality forecast for Norwegian locations, textual aviation forecasts, the Frost API for observations, GRIB files for the coast, ice maps for arctic regions and isobaric GRIB files for air traffic.
The weather icons carry an MIT licence.
Rules of use
The terms ask every user to identify themselves, avoid unnecessary traffic and respect the published guidelines so the service stays stable.
Deprecated API versions are usually terminated after about one month, and the terms promise no delivery guarantees.
Fit for production
Because there is no paid tier or contract, there is no support obligation either. Teams that need guaranteed uptime would pair it with a commercial supplier such as Foreca.
Limitations to Consider
The service has no SLA, no paid support, and a documented right to retire versions on short notice. Attribution is mandatory. Coverage detail beyond Norway, such as accuracy elsewhere, was not verified on the vendor pages. The air-quality product covers Norwegian locations only.
Who Should Use MET Norway
Hobby, research and open-data projects, or products where a fallback source exists.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Free to use
- Open government licence
- Wide product list including ice and GRIB
- Icons under MIT licence
- Public body with a stable mandate
Cons
- No delivery guarantees
- Attribution required
- Versions retire after about a month's notice
- Air quality only for Norway
Alternatives to MET Norway
Other European weather api providers worth comparing before you decide:
Open-Meteo
Switzerland · Open-source weather API merging national model data, free for non-commercial use
Stormglass
Sweden · Weather and marine API with euro plans from €19 per month
Meteomatics
Switzerland · St. Gallen API with 1,800+ parameters and 1 km Europe model
Windy API
Czech Republic · Point, map and webcam APIs from the makers of Windy.com
See all European weather api providers or compare them directly against Tomorrow.io on our alternatives page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The licensing page covers data under NLOD 2.0 and CC BY 4.0, with credit to MET Norway.
No. The terms say there are no guarantees of delivery.
The terms say you must identify yourself and avoid unnecessary traffic.