Under The Weather

Seeing how the plugin's cache system reduces the number of API calls demonstrates its effectiveness. Use the Performance Report to examine how modifying the cache expiration time affects the rate of cached requests.
Do I need to use the plugin's caching function?
No. To retrieve fresh weather data every time a widget page loads, you can uncheck "Enable Cache" under the plugin's advanced settings. The caching system provides a great benefit for reducing API hits, but turning off this function during your initial widget setup may be useful.
Will my website ever show yesterday's weather If I set a long cache time?
Cinderella's magic disappears at midnight and weather caches expire at midnight too. Visitors should never see a cache of the previous day's forecast.

For example, if you set the cache expiration time to 8 hours and a weather cache is created at 10 p.m. on a Friday (using the weather location's time), that cache will expire at midnight, and someone visiting the site the next day at 5 a.m. will not see the previous day's cache even though fewer than 8 hours have passed.

The plugin uses whichever expiration time is shorter to provide the most effective caching. You control the maximum cache duration with the "Cache Expiration Time" slider. However, to ensure your visitors never see yesterday's weather, the plugin also calculates the time until midnight in the widget's local timezone. If the time until midnight is shorter than your slider setting, the cache will expire at midnight.
The weather isn't updating. Why?
The plugin caches the weather data on your server to improve performance and reduce API calls. The data will only be fetched again after the "Cache Expiration Time" you set on the settings page has passed. If you need to force an immediate update, go to Settings > Under The Weather and click the "Clear All Weather Caches" button.
I made changes to my settings. Why isn't the widget updating?
The weather widget is probably displaying a cached forecast. Since waiting around is no fun, the Under The Weather Settings has a "Clear Weather Cache" option at the bottom. If you press the "Clear All Weather Caches & Stats" button, it will force an immediate update of all weather forecasts. This will also clear the performance report data.

If you're feeling patient, just wait for the weather widget to update after the current cache has expired.
Does the Weather Widget work in Fahrenheit or Celsius?
Both. By default, the weather widget will show a forecast in Fahrenheit. If you prefer to see the forecast in Celsius, set data-unit="metric" within the weather-widget div (see configuration instructions). Additionally, checking the box for "Display Unit Symbol" on the Under The Weather Settings page instructs the weather widget to display the temperature unit symbol (F or C) in the primary temperature display.
What if I don't know the latitude and longitude for a weather location?
The plugin offers two methods for looking up coordinates using its built-in Coordinate Finder tool:
* In the Settings Page: Navigate to Settings > Under The Weather and click the Coordinate Finder tab. Simply type in a location name, and the tool will look up the coordinates and provide you with the exact <div> code to copy and paste.
* In the Editor: While using the Under The Weather Forecast block, click on the Find Coordinates By Name button. The coordinates for your chosen location will be filled in for you automatically.
How do I use the weather block?
In the WordPress block editor, simply search for "Under The Weather Forecast" when adding a new block. The block includes a built-in coordinate finder, so you can search for locations by name rather than manually entering latitude and longitude. Configure your preferences in the block settings sidebar, and the weather will appear automatically on your published page.
Can I still use the manual div method if I prefer it?
Absolutely! While the block is the recommended, user-friendly method for the modern WordPress editor, the plugin fully supports traditional methods for maximum flexibility.

You can use the [under_the_weather] shortcode to easily place the widget in the Classic Editor, text widgets, or with various page builders.

Additionally, the manual <div> method still works perfectly. It is particularly useful for theme developers who need to integrate the widget directly into template files or dynamically populate its data from custom fields.

The traditional method of adding <div class="weather-widget"> with data attributes still works perfectly and is particularly useful for theme developers and sites that dynamically populate widget attributes from post meta or custom fields.
What coordinate format should I use?
The recommended and most reliable format for coordinates is Decimal Degrees (DD), for example: 34.1195, -118.3005.

However, the Under The Weather Forecast block is designed to be user-friendly. If you enter coordinates in other common formats like DMS (e.g., 34°07'10.2"N) or DDM (e.g., 34° 7.17' N), the block will automatically convert them to the correct decimal format for you.

For the manual <div> method, it is strongly recommended to use Decimal Degrees. While the front-end script has a fallback to parse other formats, some characters (like the " symbol in DMS) can break the HTML structure and lead to incorrect coordinates. The block editor's converter is the most reliable way to handle alternate formats.

If you're unsure what coordinates to use, the Coordinate Finder tool is the best way to retrieve accurate coordinates in the correct format.
Where do the weather alerts come from?
The alerts are provided directly by the OpenWeather API, which sources them from official meteorological agencies in each country. This ensures the information is timely and authoritative.
What does the "Enable Rate Limiting" setting do?
This is a security feature that limits the number of times a single visitor (identified by their IP address) can request weather data in one hour. Enabling it helps protect your OpenWeather API key from being overused by automated bots or malicious users. For most websites, the default limit of 100 requests per hour is generous, but you can adjust it if needed.

The rate limit is turned off by default to ensure maximum performance for all users. If you notice an unexpected increase in weather requests in the performance report, go ahead and turn on rate limiting to see if something is afoot.
What does the "Async CSS Loading" setting do?
This setting (found in Advanced Settings) optimizes how the plugin's stylesheets are loaded to improve your website's speed scores (like Google PageSpeed Insights).
By loading the CSS asynchronously, the plugin prevents "Render Blocking," meaning the browser doesn't stop painting your page to wait for the weather styles to download.
Note: On some sites, this may cause a brief "flash" where the widget appears unstyled for a fraction of a second before popping into place. If you find this visually distracting, you can uncheck "Async CSS Loading" to revert to the standard loading method.
Can I load the JavaScripts myself?
Yes. By default, when "Load Plugin JavaScript" is selected, it will add scripts to every page of your website. If you only plan to display the weather widget on select pages, you could choose to only load the Under The Weather Scripts on those pages by encoding the JavaScript yourself.

<?php
if ( function_exists( 'under_the_weather_load_scripts_manually' ) ) {
under_the_weather_load_scripts_manually();
}
?>

For example, if you only intend to display the weather widget on events pages, you could add this targeted script to your theme's footer.php file:

<?php
// Only load the weather script on single pages of the 'event' post type.
if ( is_singular('event') && function_exists('under_the_weather_load_scripts_manually') ) {
under_the_weather_load_scripts_manually();
}
?>

Adding scripts this way is purely optional. Most users can just leave the Load Plugin JavaScript box checked.
Are there additional ways to customize this plugin?
Yes. You can modify the appearance of the Weather Icons Fonts by making customizations using CSS. The Weather Icons Fonts are sharp, scalable, and can be customized through CSS to match your website's color palette.