Grill Index

Weather

Scores grilling conditions 0–100 for any location: best cook window, week ahead, charcoal/gas/smoker tuning. No key needed.

About Grill Index

Grill Index by CB Labs is a web tool and public API that scores current and forecasted grilling conditions on a 0-100 scale, converted into a letter grade from A+ to F. Users select a location by browser geolocation, city search, or ZIP/coordinates, and choose a cooking style (charcoal, gas, or smoker), which weights the underlying factors of temperature, wind, rain, dew point, and daylight differently for each style. The tool combines these weighted factors into a single score and verdict, while treating certain conditions as override triggers regardless of the blended score: rain probability over 80%, temperatures below 20°F, or wind over 25 mph.

The API is unauthenticated and requires no key. Endpoints cover current conditions and today's best window (`/v1/index/grill`), the best window in the next 48 hours (`/v1/index/grill/window`), a ranking of 45 CONUS metro areas against each other (`/v1/index/grill/best`), a seven-day outlook (`/v1/index/grill/week`), geocoding by city or ZIP (`/v1/geocode`), reverse geocoding by coordinates (`/v1/geocode/reverse`), and a health check (`/v1/health`). An OpenAPI 3.1 specification is published at `/openapi.json`. The `/v1/index/grill` endpoint supports scoring a specific hour (`at`) or a time span (`from`/`to`), though the `smoker` style is scored only across a sustained window and returns an error if used with `at` or `from`/`to`. A planned SMS text-alert signup endpoint (`/v1/alerts`) exists but is closed pending SMS delivery and currently returns a 403.

This tool is aimed at developers building apps, dashboards, or smart-home displays that need weather-derived grilling recommendations, as well as end users checking conditions directly through the web console at grillindex.cblabs.app.

Key features

Scores grilling conditions from 0-100 based on live local weather
Style-specific weighting for charcoal, gas, or smoker grilling
Public API with no key required for scores, windows, and rankings
Ranks 45 CONUS metros against each other to find the best grilling location
Supports hour-specific and time-range queries (at, from/to) for planning meals
7-day outlook via a week-ahead endpoint

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free tier or pricing?

The API requires no key and pricing is not mentioned on the page, suggesting free public access.

Do I need an API key to use it?

No, the API explicitly states no key is required.

What platforms or integrations does it support?

It's a REST API returning JSON, so it can be pulled into any app, dashboard, or smart home display.

Who is this for?

It's for developers and grillers who want to check backyard grilling conditions or integrate weather-based grilling scores into their own tools.

What grilling styles does it support?

It supports charcoal, gas, and smoker styles, each with its own weighting of temperature, wind, rain, dew point, and daylight.

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