YOUR OWN WEATHER WEBSITE

As much as we can play with Python to improve the output of our weather station, there’s a lot to be said for at-aglance personal forecasting. And if you’ve already dug up a DarkSky key, something such as WeeWX ( www.weewx. com) is the perfect tool to get it done. Follow the install guide at www.weewx.com/docs/usersguide.htm to get it installed and started for the first time. Once it’s up, you’ll be able to access its interface via a local web page.

WeeWX does support a vast number of sensors, although the default list is restricted by the drivers it includes. If it works with your weather gear, that’s great; you’ll be able to use WeeWX to join in the swarm of user-run weather stations that contributes to WeatherUnderground’s vast forecasting network.

However, if you’re not using any sensors, you can add the appropriate latitude, longitude, and such into the “weewx.conf” file, and place your API key in the “darksky_secret_key” option to draw the data in directly from there. Make sure WeeWX isn’t polling too frequently, lest you raise the ire of the DarkSky API limits. And if you want something prettier, don’t miss the Belchertown skin at https://github.com/poblabs/weewx-belchertown.