HomeAssistant

DWD weather warnings: Smart integration with HACS ⛈️

Learn how to integrate weather warnings from the DWD into Home Assistant and be informed in good time when warnings are issued! ⛈️

Marco Franke

21. Juli 2024 • 4 min read

Photo by NOAA / Unsplash / Image

The integration of the German Weather Service (DWD) in Home Assistant Community Store (HACS) makes it possible to integrate weather warnings directly into your smart home system and respond to them. In this article, I will show you how to create an automation that informs you about weather warnings and explain the different warning levels of the DWD.

This integration creates two sensors, current_warning and advance_warning. These sensors also have attributes that provide further useful information. These sensors are always named as follows

<LOCATION>_<WARNINGSTYPE>_warning_level

Difference between `current_warning` and `advance_warning`

The DWD distinguishes between current warnings (current_warning) and advance warnings (advance_warning):

Current Warning: These warnings are already active or will come into effect in a very short time. They require immediate attention and action.
Advance Warning: These warnings are issued for future weather events and serve as an early warning to prepare. They are not yet active, but there is a high probability that the weather event will occur.

Attribute overview of DWD weather warnings

To better understand the different information of a weather warning, here is an overview of the attributes provided by the DWD in the Home Assistant integration:

Attribute	Description
`current_warning_level`	Current warning level (1-4)
`advance_warning_level`	Pre-warning level (1-4)
`region_name`	Name of the region
`warning_1_name`	Name of the first warning
`warning_1_type`	Type of the first warning (e.g.B. Storm, rain)
`warning_1_level`	Level of the first warning (1-4)
	`warning_1_start`	Start time of the first warning
`warning_1_end`	End time of the first warning
. warning
`warning_1_description`	Description of the first warning
`warning_1_instruction`	Recommendations for action for the first warning
`warning_2_name`	Name of the second warning (if available)
`warning_2_type`	Type of the second warning
`warning_2_level`	Level of the second warning (1-4)
`warning_2_start`	Start time of the second warning
`warning_2_end`	End time of the second warning
`warning_2_description`	Description of the second warning
`warning_2_instruction`	Recommended action for the second warning

These attributes allow you to receive detailed information on current and upcoming weather warnings.

DWD warning levels ⚠️

The DWD uses a color-coded system to categorize the severity of weather warnings:

Weather and climate - German Weather Service - Warnings

Warning management

German Weather Service weather and climate from a single source

Level 1: Weather Warnings (Yellow): These warnings indicate general weather conditions that may be potentially dangerous, such as heavy rain or wind. They require attention but no immediate action.
Level 2: Warning of Significant Weather (Orange): These warnings indicate significant weather conditions that may cause considerable damage or inconvenience. Preparation measures should be taken.
Level 3: Warnings of Severe Weather (Red): These warnings indicate severe weather conditions that pose a significant risk to life and property. Immediate action is required to protect yourself and others.
Level 4: Warnings of Extreme Weather (Purple): These warnings are issued for extreme weather conditions that can have catastrophic effects. Maximum caution and immediate action is essential.

Set up the automation ⚙️

The automation we will create uses the DWD integration of HACS to monitor weather warnings for the district of Viersen and inform you via push notifications.

Here's the configuration file for the automation (you'll need to customize the sensors to yours, of course):

alias: 🌊 Wetterwarnung DWD
description: ""
trigger:
  - platform: numeric_state
    entity_id: sensor.kreis_viersen_current_warning_level
    above: 0
condition: []
action:
  - service: notify.notify
    data:
      message: >-
        {{ state_attr('sensor.kreis_viersen_current_warning_level', 'warning_1_description') }} From: {{
        as_timestamp(state_attr('sensor.kreis_viersen_current_warning_level', 'warning_1_start')) | timestamp_custom('%d.%m.%Y, %H:%M')}} Clock To: {{
        as_timestamp(state_attr('sensor.kreis_viersen_current_warning_level', 'warning_1_end')) | timestamp_custom('%d.%m.%Y, %H:%M')}} clock
      title: >-
        {{ state_attr('sensor.kreis_viersen_current_warning_level', 'warning_1_name') }} ⛈️
mode: single

Explanation of the automation

Trigger: The automation is triggered when the sensor.kreis_viersen_current_warning_level has a value above 0, which means that a weather warning is active.
Action: When the automation is triggered, it sends a push notification with the details of the weather warning, including the description, start time and end time.

You can of course do anything you want in the actions. For example, you can also lower the shutters in the event of thunderstorm warnings or carry out other useful actions. I myself only use a notification to all known devices.

The individual attributes of the sensors (for more information) are described very well in the integration documentation.

Conclusion 💡

With the integration of the DWD in HACS and the automation described above, you can ensure that you are informed of weather warnings in good time and can take appropriate action. The different warning levels help you to correctly assess the severity of weather events and react appropriately.

How do you deal with weather warnings? Do you have any other tips for integration in Home Assistant? Share your experiences in the comments!

Difference between current_warning and advance_warning