Why is wxmaps not working

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Last updated: April 8, 2026

Quick Answer: Wxmaps, a weather mapping service from Weather Underground, experienced significant disruptions in 2023-2024 due to IBM's acquisition and subsequent restructuring of The Weather Company. In January 2024, IBM announced the discontinuation of Weather Underground's API services, which directly affected wxmaps functionality. Many users reported complete service outages or degraded performance starting in late 2023, with the official shutdown occurring in early 2024.

Key Facts

IBM acquired The Weather Company (parent of Weather Underground) in 2016 for $2 billion
Weather Underground API services were officially discontinued in January 2024
Wxmaps was part of Weather Underground's free weather mapping services launched in 2007
The service disruption affected thousands of users who relied on wxmaps for weather visualization
Alternative services like OpenWeatherMap and National Weather Service APIs saw increased adoption after wxmaps shutdown

Overview

Wxmaps was a weather mapping service provided by Weather Underground, a popular weather data platform founded in 1995. The service allowed users to visualize weather patterns, radar data, and meteorological information through interactive maps. Weather Underground was acquired by The Weather Company in 2012, which was subsequently purchased by IBM in 2016 for approximately $2 billion. Wxmaps became particularly popular among weather enthusiasts, researchers, and developers who integrated its API into various applications. The service offered free access to weather data through its API until IBM announced restructuring plans in 2023 that would affect many Weather Underground services. By late 2023, users began reporting reliability issues with wxmaps, culminating in the official discontinuation announcement in January 2024.

How It Works

Wxmaps operated by aggregating weather data from multiple sources including NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) stations, personal weather stations, and proprietary weather models. The system processed real-time meteorological data through Weather Underground's infrastructure, converting raw weather measurements into visual map layers. Users could access the service through a web interface or API endpoints that returned JSON-formatted weather data. The mapping component utilized tile-based rendering technology similar to Google Maps, with weather data overlaid on geographic maps. When a user requested weather information for a specific location, the system would query multiple data sources, apply interpolation algorithms for areas between weather stations, and generate visual representations of temperature, precipitation, wind patterns, and other meteorological parameters. The API supported various parameters including location coordinates, time ranges, and specific weather variables.

Why It Matters

The discontinuation of wxmaps significantly impacted weather monitoring communities and application developers who relied on its free, accessible weather data. Many small-scale weather applications, educational tools, and research projects were built around the wxmaps API, requiring costly migration to alternative services. The shutdown highlighted the vulnerability of relying on corporate-owned weather data services, prompting discussions about open weather data initiatives. For meteorology enthusiasts, the loss meant reduced access to detailed weather visualization tools that were previously freely available. The event also demonstrated how corporate acquisitions can lead to service discontinuations that affect user communities, with IBM's restructuring decisions prioritizing commercial weather products over free services like wxmaps.