[jacobsheehy]

They do offer a free API but it is nowhere near as full-featured as WU. They have many tens of thousands fewer weather stations that report current conditions, for example. The variables returned are fewer when it comes to conditions and forecasts. Additionally, depending on your pay tier, WU had all kinds of historical info + specialized weather forecasts that NWS/NOAA does not offer. Even metrics like UV are rarely in NWS API products but could be expected from WU.

WU was also global, while NWS is US-only.

I love the NWS API btw. It's just nowhere near what the WU API was in terms of the promised data returned from API calls. NWS API has always been far superior when it comes to uptime!

[reaperducer]

They do offer a free API but it is nowhere near as full-featured as WU.

While I don't disagree with you that the NWS has thousands fewer weather stations than WU, it should be noted that the NWS has very strict standards for weather sampling and reporting.

NWS weather stations are set up in a particular way to ensure consistent, accurate data. WU, less so.

For example, last week I was in a part of the country where the only weather station for 80 miles was a PWS from WU. According to its data, there is a 40-degree (F) spike in temperature every morning around 7am. Clearly, this is a thermometer that is being affected by the sunrise. This doesn't happen to NWS equipment.

[jacobsheehy]

You are fully correct of course - excellent points!