Weather alerts via SMS (OpenWeather + Twilio)

🌤️ Weather Alerts via SMS (OpenWeather + Twilio)

This workflow checks the current weather and forecast every 6 hours using the OpenWeather API, and automatically sends an SMS alert via Twilio if severe conditions are detected. It’s great for keeping teams, family, or field workers updated about extreme heat, storms, or snow.

⚙️ How It Works

1. Check Every 6 Hours

   • A Cron node triggers the workflow every 6 hours.
   • Frequency can be adjusted based on your needs.

2. Fetch Current Weather & Forecast

   • Calls OpenWeather API for both current conditions and the 24-hour forecast.
   • Retrieves temperature, precipitation, wind speed, and weather descriptions.

3. Analyze Weather Data

   • A Code node normalizes the weather data.
   • Detects alert conditions such as:
     • Extreme heat (≥95°F)
     • Extreme cold (≤20°F)
     • Severe storms (thunderstorm, tornado)
     • Rain or snow
     • High winds (≥25 mph)
   • Also checks upcoming forecast for severe weather in the next 24 hours.

4. Alert Needed?

   • If no severe conditions → workflow stops.
   • If alerts exist → proceed to SMS formatting.

5. Format SMS Alert

   • Prepares a compact, clear SMS message with:
     • Current conditions
     • Detected alerts
     • Next 3 hours forecast preview
   • Example:

     🌤️ WEATHER ALERT - New York, US
     NOW: 98°F, clear sky
     🚨 ALERTS (1): 🔥 EXTREME HEAT: 98°F (feels like 103°F)
     
     📅 NEXT 3 HOURS:
     1 PM: 99°F, sunny
     2 PM: 100°F, sunny
     3 PM: 100°F, partly cloudy
     

6. Send Weather SMS

   • Twilio sends the SMS to configured phone numbers.
   • Supports multiple recipients.

7. Log Alert Sent

   • Logs the alert type, urgency, and timestamp.
   • Useful for auditing and troubleshooting.

🛠️ Setup Steps

1. OpenWeather API

• Sign up at openweathermap.org.
• Get a free API key (1000 calls/day).
• Update the API key and location (city or lat/long) in the HTTP Request nodes.

2. Twilio Setup

• Sign up at twilio.com.
• Get your Account SID & Auth Token.
• Buy a Twilio phone number (≈ $1/month).
• Add Twilio credentials in n8n.

3. Recipients

• In the Send Weather SMS node, update phone numbers (format: +1234567890).
• You can add multiple recipients.

4. Customize Alert Conditions

• Default alerts: rain, snow, storms, extreme temps, high winds.
• Modify the Analyze Weather Data node to fine-tune conditions.

📲 Example SMS Output

🌤️ WEATHER ALERT - New York, US NOW: 35°F, light snow 🚨 ALERTS (2): ❄️ SNOW ALERT: light snow 💨 HIGH WINDS: 28 mph

📅 NEXT 3 HOURS: 10 AM: 34°F, snow 11 AM: 33°F, snow 12 PM: 32°F, overcast

⏰ Alert sent: 08/29/2025, 09:00 AM

⚡ With this workflow, you’ll always know when bad weather is on the way — keeping you, your team, or your customers safe and informed.