AccessiWeather

Weather that speaks to you.

AccessiWeather is a cross-platform, accessible weather application built with Python and wxPython. Get detailed weather forecasts, alerts, and conditions with full screen reader support, customizable audio alerts, and keyboard navigation.

Features

• Multi-Source Weather Data: Combines National Weather Service (NWS), Open-Meteo, and Visual Crossing for comprehensive coverage
• Weather Alerts: Real-time notifications for severe weather with customizable alert sounds
• Accessibility First: Full screen reader support, keyboard shortcuts, and ARIA labels throughout
• Air Quality & Environmental Data: Track AQI, pollen, UV index, and more
• Weather History: View historical weather trends and patterns
• Aviation Weather: TAF/METAR decoding for pilots
• Sound Packs: Customize alert sounds with community-created packs
• Offline Support: Smart caching keeps data available when you're offline
• Multiple Locations: Save and switch between your favorite locations

Installation

Download Installers

Visit accessiweather.orinks.net to download:

• Windows: MSI installer or portable ZIP
• macOS: DMG installer
• Linux: AppImage (coming soon)

Getting Started

1. Launch AccessiWeather after installation
2. Add a location: Click "Add Location" or press Ctrl+L (Windows/Linux) / Cmd+L (macOS)
3. View weather: Select your location and choose from Current Conditions, Forecast, Alerts, and more
4. Customize settings: Access Settings via the menu or Ctrl+, / Cmd+,

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Ctrl/Cmd + L - Add/manage locations
• Ctrl/Cmd + R - Refresh weather data
• Ctrl/Cmd + , - Open settings
• Ctrl/Cmd + Q - Quit application
• F1 - Help/documentation

See the User Manual for complete documentation.

Configuration

AccessiWeather stores your settings and locations in:

• Windows: %APPDATA%\accessiweather\accessiweather.json
• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/accessiweather/accessiweather.json
• Linux: ~/.config/accessiweather/accessiweather.json

You can export and import your configuration from the Settings dialog.

API Keys (Optional)

AccessiWeather works out of the box with free data sources (NWS and Open-Meteo). For enhanced features, you can add:

• Visual Crossing API: Historical weather data and extended forecasts
  • Get a free key at visualcrossing.com
  • Add in Settings → Weather Sources

Documentation

• User Manual - Complete guide to using AccessiWeather
• Accessibility Guide - Screen reader tips and keyboard navigation
• Sound Pack System - Create and install custom alert sounds
• Update System - How automatic updates work

Troubleshooting

Antivirus False Positives

Some antivirus software (e.g., Avast, AVG) may flag AccessiWeather's auto-update service as malicious during builds or first run. This is a false positive caused by the update mechanism using standard Windows patterns (batch scripts, PowerShell for ZIP extraction) that superficially resemble malware techniques.

The code is safe - our update service:

• Only downloads from official GitHub releases
• Verifies all downloads with SHA256 checksums
• Uses no obfuscation or suspicious network calls

If flagged:

1. Report as false positive to your antivirus vendor
2. Add an exception for AccessiWeather in your antivirus settings
3. The flagged file is typically github_update_service.cpython-*.pyc in __pycache__

See docs/UPDATE_SYSTEM.md for technical details about the update system's security measures.

Support & Community

• Issues: Report bugs or request features on GitHub Issues
• Discussions: Join the conversation on GitHub Discussions
• Website: accessiweather.orinks.net

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Whether you're fixing bugs, adding features, or improving documentation:

1. Fork the repo and create a feature branch from dev
2. Make your changes with tests
3. Run linting: ruff check --fix . && ruff format .
4. Run tests: pytest -n auto
5. Submit a PR to dev

See CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidelines.

Development

Quick Start with uv (Recommended)

uv handles everything automatically — no manual environment activation needed.

# Install uv first (if you don't have it)
# Windows (PowerShell):
powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"
# macOS/Linux:
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

# Clone and run
git clone https://github.com/Orinks/AccessiWeather.git
cd AccessiWeather
uv sync
uv run python -m accessiweather

Traditional Method

# Clone and setup
git clone https://github.com/Orinks/AccessiWeather.git
cd AccessiWeather
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate  # or .venv\Scripts\activate on Windows
pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Run the app
python -m accessiweather

# Run tests
pytest -n auto

Key Commands

# Development
uv run python -m accessiweather  # Run the app
uv run pytest -n auto            # Run tests (parallel)
uv run ruff check --fix .        # Lint and fix
uv run ruff format .             # Format code
uv run pyright                   # Type checking

See AGENTS.md for detailed development conventions, architecture overview, and CI/CD information.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

Acknowledgments

Built with wxPython for accessible cross-platform GUI development. Weather data provided by:

• National Weather Service (US)
• Open-Meteo (Global)
• Visual Crossing (Optional, for historical data)

Related Projects

• AccessiSky - Accessible sky tracking app (ISS passes, moon phases, aurora forecasts)