rlwilliamson-dev
e5666b7cce
Add a rain nowcast (Open-Meteo 15-minutely precipitation — worldwide, no API key) as both an on-demand `rain`/`nowcast` command and an opt-in Weather_Service push that announces rain starting and stopping at the bot's position. - modules/commands/rain_command.py — command plus pure, unit-tested fetch/analyze/dedup/label helpers (also reused by the service) - modules/service_plugins/weather_service.py — background poller mirroring the existing weather-alert poll pattern; ships disabled (opt-in) - Location labels resolve to "City, ST" (US) / "City, Country" (non-US) - 34 unit tests; rain_command added to the strict-mypy module list
7.3 KiB
Weather Service
Provides scheduled weather forecasts, weather alerts, and lightning detection.
Quick Start
- Configure Bot - Edit
config.ini:
[Weather_Service]
enabled = true
# Your location (required)
my_position_lat = 47.6062
my_position_lon = -122.3321
# Daily forecast time
weather_alarm = 6:00 # Or "sunrise" / "sunset"
# Channels
weather_channel = #weather
alerts_channel = #weather
- Restart Bot - Daily forecasts start automatically
Configuration
Basic Settings
[Weather_Service]
enabled = true
my_position_lat = 47.6062 # Your latitude (required)
my_position_lon = -122.3321 # Your longitude (required)
weather_alarm = 6:00 # Time for daily forecast (HH:MM or sunrise/sunset)
weather_channel = #weather # Channel for forecasts
alerts_channel = #weather # Channel for weather alerts
Alert Polling
poll_weather_alerts_interval = 600000 # Check for alerts every 10 minutes (milliseconds)
Rain Nowcast (Proactive)
Automatically posts a heads-up when rain is about to start at your position:
rain_nowcast_enabled = true # Auto-announce incoming rain (opt-in; default: false)
# rain_channel = #weather # Defaults to weather_channel
poll_rain_nowcast_interval = 900000 # Check every 15 minutes (milliseconds)
rain_nowcast_lead_minutes = 60 # Only announce if rain starts within 60 min
rain_nowcast_renotify_minutes = 30 # Cooldown between pushes
# rain_nowcast_announce_ending = true # Also announce when rain is about to stop
# rain_nowcast_threshold_mm = 0.1 # Sensitivity (mm per 15-min bucket)
Posts both a starting heads-up (rain incoming) and, by default, an ending one (rain about to stop):
🌧️ Heads up — Rain starting in ~25min near Nashville, TN
🌧️ Heads up — Rain ending in ~20min near Nashville, TN
Each fires once per rain episode. Set rain_nowcast_announce_ending = false to
only announce incoming rain.
Lightning Detection (Optional)
Requires paho-mqtt library.
blitz_collection_interval = 600000 # Aggregate lightning every 10 minutes
# Define detection area (optional)
blitz_area_min_lat = 47.0
blitz_area_min_lon = -123.0
blitz_area_max_lat = 48.0
blitz_area_max_lon = -121.0
Features
Daily Weather Forecast
Sends forecast to weather_channel at configured time:
Example Output:
🌤️ Daily Weather: Seattle: ☀️Clear 68°F NNE8mph | Tomorrow: 🌧️Light Rain 55-72°F
Data Includes:
- Current conditions with emoji
- Temperature
- Wind speed and direction
- Tomorrow's forecast
Scheduling Options:
- Fixed time:
weather_alarm = 6:00(24-hour format) - Sunrise:
weather_alarm = sunrise - Sunset:
weather_alarm = sunset
Rain Nowcast (Proactive)
Watches your position and posts a heads-up to rain_channel (default: weather_channel) when precipitation is about to start, using Open-Meteo's 15-minutely forecast — the same engine as the rain/nowcast command.
Example Output:
🌧️ Heads up — Rain starting in ~25min near Seattle
🌨️ Heads up — Snow starting in ~40min (steady) near Seattle
How It Works:
- Polls every
poll_rain_nowcast_interval(default 15 min) - Announces when rain is expected within
rain_nowcast_lead_minutes(default 60) - Fires once per rain episode — re-arms only after the forecast clears
- A
rain_nowcast_renotify_minutescooldown (default 30) absorbs forecast flapping (steady)marks prolonged rain (continues past the look-ahead window)
Works worldwide (no API key). Set rain_nowcast_enabled = false to disable.
Weather Alerts (US Only)
Monitors NOAA weather alerts and posts new alerts to alerts_channel:
Example Output:
🟡Wind Adv Seattle til 9PM by NWS SEA https://is.gd/abc123
Alert Types:
- Warnings (tornado, severe thunderstorm, etc.)
- Watches (winter storm, flood, etc.)
- Advisories (wind, fog, etc.)
- Statements (special weather)
Compact Format:
- Severity emoji (🔴🟠🟡⚪)
- Event type and location
- Expiration time
- Issuing office
- Shortened URL for details
Lightning Detection (Optional)
Monitors real-time lightning strikes via Blitzortung MQTT:
Example Output:
🌩️ Bellevue (15km NE)
How It Works:
- Connects to Blitzortung MQTT broker
- Filters strikes within configured
blitz_area - Aggregates strikes every
blitz_collection_interval - Reports areas with 10+ strikes
Weather Data Source
Uses Open-Meteo API (free, no API key required).
Temperature Units:
Inherited from [Weather] section (see Weather command docs):
[Weather]
temperature_unit = fahrenheit # fahrenheit or celsius
wind_speed_unit = mph # mph, ms, kn
precipitation_unit = inch # inch or mm
Alerts (US Only)
Weather alerts use NOAA API which is US-only. For other countries:
- Daily forecasts work worldwide via Open-Meteo
- Weather alerts won't be available
- Lightning detection works worldwide via Blitzortung
Troubleshooting
Service Not Starting
Check logs:
tail -f meshcore_bot.log | grep WeatherService
Common issues:
- Missing
my_position_latormy_position_lon - Invalid coordinates
enabled = false
No Daily Forecasts
- Check alarm time - Service logs "Next forecast at HH:MM:SS"
- Check channel - Verify
weather_channelexists - Check position - Coordinates must be valid
No Weather Alerts
- US only - NOAA alerts only work in the United States
- Check polling - Service logs "Starting weather alerts polling"
- New alerts only - Only alerts issued since last check are sent
Lightning Not Working
- Check dependencies:
pip install paho-mqtt - Check area config - All 4 coordinates required (min/max lat/lon)
- Check MQTT connection - Service logs "Connected to Blitzortung MQTT"
Advanced
Sunrise/Sunset Forecasts
When using weather_alarm = sunrise or sunset:
- Calculates time based on your coordinates
- Updates daily for seasonal changes
- Uses local timezone automatically
Alert Deduplication
Alerts are tracked by ID to prevent duplicates. The service maintains a list of seen alert IDs and only sends new alerts.
Lightning Strike Bucketing
Strikes are grouped by:
- Direction (heading from your location)
- Distance (grouped in 10km buckets)
Example: All strikes 50-60km to the NE are counted as one area.
FAQ
Q: Do I need an API key? A: No. Open-Meteo is free and doesn't require an API key.
Q: Can I get alerts for other countries? A: Daily forecasts work worldwide. Weather alerts are currently US-only (NOAA). If you would like added, let me know.
Q: How accurate are the forecasts? A: Open-Meteo uses data from national weather services (NOAA, DWD, etc.). Accuracy varies by location.
Q: Can I change temperature units?
A: Yes, set temperature_unit in the [Weather] section (used by wx command too).
Q: Does lightning detection work worldwide? A: Yes. Blitzortung has global coverage.
Q: Why do I need to define a lightning detection area? A: To filter strikes. Without an area, you'd get alerts for the entire globe.