🌤️ 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.