# How to Build a Weather Notifier App Using Python and a Public API

Whether you're a developer trying to stay dry or just looking for a fun Python project, a Weather Notifier App is a great choice. In this blog, we’ll build a simple weather notification tool using Python and the OpenWeatherMap API. You’ll learn about API integration, notifications, and simple scheduling — all in under 100 lines of code.

**What You’ll Need:**

* Python 3 installed
    
* `requests` library (for API calls)
    
* `plyer` library (for desktop notifications)
    
* A free API key from [OpenWeatherMap](https://openweathermap.org/api)
    

**Step 1: Get an API Key from OpenWeatherMap**

1. Visit [https://openweathermap.org/api.](https://openweathermap.org/api)
    
2. Sign up and log in.
    
3. Go to the "API keys" section in your account and generate a new key.
    
4. Use the “Current Weather Data” API.
    

**Step 2: Install Required Libraries**

Open your terminal and install the necessary Python libraries:  
`pip install requests plyer`

**Step 3: Fetch Weather Data Using Python**

Create a new file called `weather_`[`notifier.py`](http://notifier.py) and start by writing a function to fetch weather data:

```python
import requests

API_KEY = 'your_api_key_here'

CITY = 'London'

BASE_URL = "http://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/weather?"

def get_weather(city):
url = f"{BASE_URL}appid={API_KEY}&q={city}&units=metric"
response = requests.get(url)
data = response.json()

if data["cod"] != 200:
return f"Error: {data['message']}"

main = data["main"]
weather_desc = data["weather"][0]["description"]
temp = main["temp"]

return f"Weather in {city}:\n{weather_desc.capitalize()}, {temp}°C"
```

**Step 4: Show the Notification**

Now let’s display the weather using a desktop notification with the `plyer` library:  

```python
from plyer import notification

def notify_user(message):
notification.notify(
title="Weather Update",
message=message,
timeout=10 # seconds )
```

**Step 5: Combine Everything**

Put everything together in your `main` block:  

```python
if name == "main":
weather_report = get_weather(CITY)
notify_user(weather_report)
```

  
Now run the script:  
`python weather_`[`notifier.py`](http://notifier.py)  
You’ll see a system notification pop up with the current weather.

**Optional: Add Automatic Scheduling**

If you want the app to check the weather every few hours, install the `schedule` library:  
`pip install schedule`  
Then add this to your script:  

```python
import schedule
import time

schedule.every(3).hours.do(lambda: notify_user(get_weather(CITY)))

while True: schedule.run_pending()
time.sleep(1)
```

**Bonus Ideas:**

* Add a GUI using Tkinter or PyQt
    
* Fetch weather for multiple cities
    
* Use geolocation to get weather automatically
    
* Send weather via email or SMS using Twilio or SMTP
    

**Conclusion:**

You’ve just built a simple, useful Weather Notifier App in Python using real-time data from OpenWeatherMap. This project is a great introduction to working with APIs and automation in Python. It's easily extendable and can be personalized in countless ways.

Now you’ll never be caught without an umbrella again!