Skip to content

Observation schema

weather.observations() returns merged METAR/SPECI reports. The canonical schema.observation.merged.v1 record has 30 fields; the weather read also attaches local_standard_date, the local-standard-time day used by training and settlement joins.

Python DataFrames and TypeScript rows use snake_case. They are not yet the same contents, so inspect the returned schema before sharing a frozen contract across runtimes.

Identity and time

Section titled “Identity and time”
Field Type Notes
station string Canonical ICAO/ASOS id, for example KNYC
event_time_utc UTC timestamp string When the report is valid
observation_type enum METAR or SPECI
source string Bare row source: awc, iem, or ghcnh
local_standard_date date Derived local-standard-time day for this station

The merged report key is (station, event_time_utc, observation_type). When sources overlap, the fixed merge priority selects one survivor and the row keeps the source that actually won.

Temperature

Section titled “Temperature”
Field Unit Nullable
temp_c °C Yes
temp_f °F Yes
dewpoint_c °C Yes
dewpoint_f °F Yes

The SDK preserves the available precision. Integer settlement rounding belongs in the settlement recipe, not the stored observation.

Wind

Section titled “Wind”
Field Unit Nullable
wind_direction_degrees degrees true Yes
wind_speed_kt knots Yes
wind_gust_kt knots Yes

Variable winds can have a null direction.

Pressure, visibility, and precipitation

Section titled “Pressure, visibility, and precipitation”
Field Unit Notes
altimeter_inhg inHg Altimeter setting
sea_level_pressure_hpa hPa Sea-level pressure
visibility_miles statute miles Parsed report visibility
precipitation_in_1h inches Accumulation in the preceding hour

These measurements are nullable when the source report does not carry them.

Sky layers

Section titled “Sky layers”

Up to four layers are preserved:

Fields Notes
sky_cover_1 … sky_cover_4 CLR, FEW, SCT, BKN, OVC, VV, or null
sky_base_1_ft … sky_base_4_ft Layer base in feet, nullable

Layer 1 is the lowest reported significant layer.

Weather, peak wind, snow, and raw report

Section titled “Weather, peak wind, snow, and raw report”
Field Notes
weather_codes Raw METAR weather-code string
peak_wind_gust_kt Peak gust in knots
peak_wind_direction_degrees Peak-wind direction
peak_wind_time Peak-wind timestamp
snow_depth_inches Snow depth
qc_field Upstream source quality marker
raw_metar Original METAR text when the source provides it

AWC’s structured JSON can leave raw_metar null. Do not assume every provider exposes the original bulletin text.

Field count

Section titled “Field count”

The 30 canonical merged-schema fields are:

  • identity/source: 4
  • temperature: 4
  • wind: 3
  • pressure/visibility/precipitation: 4
  • sky cover and bases: 8
  • weather/peak wind/snow/QC/raw text: 7

local_standard_date is the additional derived join column on weather.observations() output.

1.x to 2.0 name changes

Section titled “1.x to 2.0 name changes”

Common stale names and their 2.0 replacements:

1.x or pre-contract name 2.0
station_code station
observed_at event_time_utc
wind_dir_degrees wind_direction_degrees
sea_level_pressure_mb sea_level_pressure_hpa
precip_1hr_inches precipitation_in_1h
peak_wind_dir peak_wind_direction_degrees
Section titled “Related”