Weather Code Dictionary

55 OpenWeather codes · icons & meanings

Every reading in our Weather Complex starts from one OpenWeather condition code number. This is the official wording — useful for understanding the API, your own apps, or simply the difference between 802 and 804.

Thunderstorm (2xx)

thunder with lightning; the most dangerous group outdoors and near water

Code	Icon	Condition	What it means
200	⛈️	thunderstorm with light rain	thunder and lightning with a light rain shower — the most common tropical storm shape
201	⛈️	thunderstorm with rain	thunderstorm with moderate rain; visibility drops while it passes
202	⛈️	thunderstorm with heavy rain	strong thunderstorm with downpours — flash-flood conditions
210	⛈️	light thunderstorm	isolated, short-lived lightning with little rain
211	⛈️	thunderstorm	general thunderstorm; stay off open ground and away from water
212	⛈️	heavy thunderstorm	severe thunderstorm — intense rain, frequent lightning, gusty outflows
221	⛈️	ragged thunderstorm	sporadic, hard-to-forecast lightning with irregular rain
230	⛈️	thunderstorm with light drizzle	lightning with a fine mist of rain
231	⛈️	thunderstorm with drizzle	thunderstorm with drizzle; roads get slick slowly
232	⛈️	thunderstorm with heavy drizzle	thunderstorm with dense drizzle — wet, poor visibility

Drizzle (3xx)

fine drops under 0.5 mm — looks light but can keep roads slippery for hours

Code	Icon	Condition	What it means
300	🌦️	light intensity drizzle	very fine drops under 0.5 mm; light but persistent
301	🌦️	drizzle	widespread fine droplets; an umbrella helps more than a raincoat
302	🌦️	heavy intensity drizzle	dense drizzle that soaks through clothing
310	🌧️	light intensity shower rain	brief light shower — starts and stops quickly
311	🌧️	shower rain	moderate shower with clear breaks between cells
312	🌧️	heavy intensity shower rain	intense short shower, often with gusts
313	⛈️	shower rain and thunder	shower with thunder but little lightning
314	⛈️	shower rain and heavy thunder	heavy shower with thunder — strongest of the 3xx group
321	🌨️	shower snow	shower of snowflakes rather than rain

Rain (5xx)

drops above 0.5 mm; 520–531 = the short tropical showers we know well

Code	Icon	Condition	What it means
500	🌧️	light rain	steady light rain, drops over 0.5 mm
501	🌧️	moderate rain	steady moderate rain; reduced visibility on highways
502	🌧️	heavy intensity rain	heavy continuous rain — the usual cause of urban flooding
503	🌧️	very heavy rain	very heavy rain, often 30 mm/h or more
504	🌧️	extreme rain	extreme rainfall rate; drainage cannot keep up
511	❄️	freezing rain	rain that freezes on contact — glazed ice on roads and wires
520	🌧️	light intensity shower rain	isolated light shower; the classic tropical afternoon spot
521	🌧️	shower rain	isolated moderate shower of short duration
522	🌧️	shower rain with hail	shower carrying soft graupel or hail pellets
531	🌧️	complex shower rain	irregular shower pattern from several cells

Snow & freezing (6xx)

ice crystals, graupel and freezing rain — zero in Malaysia, terrifying at high latitude

Code	Icon	Condition	What it means
600	🌨️	light snow	few snowflakes; little accumulation
601	🌨️	snow	moderate, steady snowfall
602	🌨️	heavy snow	heavy snowfall — travel disruption likely
611	🌨️	sleet	mixed rain and snow pellets
612	🌨️	light shower sleet	brief light sleet shower
613	🌨️	shower sleet	sleet shower between clearer spells
616	🌨️	rain and snow mixed	rain with melting snowflakes — slippery, not deep
620	🌨️	light shower snow	light snow shower
621	🌨️	shower snow	moderate snow shower
622	🌨️	heavy shower snow	heavy snow shower, near-whiteout possible

Atmosphere (7xx)

fog, haze, dust, smoke — they cut visibility but they are not rain

Code	Icon	Condition	What it means
701	🌫️	mist	fine water droplets; visibility 1–2 km, milder than fog
711	🚡	smoke	wildfire or burning waste — the smell is the warning
721	🌫️	haze	dry particles cut visibility; the seasonal cross-border smoke signature
731	🌪️	sand/dust whirls	dust devils and blowing sand on dry ground
741	🌫️	fog	visibility below 1 km — the most dangerous code for drivers
751	🏜️	sand	airborne sand from deserts or dry river beds
761	🏜️	dust	fine dust raised by wind or distant sources
762	🌋	volcanic ash	ash from an erupting volcano — hazardous to lungs and engines
771	💨	squalls	sudden violent wind shifts, usually ahead of a storm
781	🌀	tornado	tornado or waterspout reported

Sky (8xx)

the 0–100% cloud cover scale — 800 clear up to 804 fully overcast

Code	Icon	Condition	What it means
800	☀️	clear sky	clear — warmest nights, coldest dawns, no cloud insulation
801	🌤️	few clouds	under 20% cloud cover — mostly sunny
802	⛅️	scattered clouds	20–50% cloud cover — broken sun, fair-weather cumulus
803	⛅️	broken clouds	50–85% cloud cover — the sun is rarely unobstructed
804	☁️	overcast clouds	full cloud deck — grey sky, mild temperatures day and night

Technical detail

Codes are grouped by hundreds and each code also carries a text description (for example "light intensity shower rain"). The OpenWeather weather icons (01d–50n) follow the same codes with day (d)/night (n) variants — which is why an 800 evening is drawn as a moon, not a sun. Our pages turn both into a plain label plus an emoji so they read easily without any login.

See these codes in action

Want to compare with the sky above you? Open the live map or check world weather in your city — every city page shows its active code.