title: Parsing a JSON array into a NSDictionary
body: <p>I'm working with the Weather Underground API to make an app and I've hit a snag while parsing the block relating to severe alerts.  The JSON uses key-value pairs that have sub key value pairs -- which haven't been a problem for me, as I can make subsequent NSDictionaries out of those -- but the entry for severe alerts has proven problematic.  See below:</p>
  
  <pre><code>"alerts": [
      {
      "type": "WAT",
      "description": "Flash Flood Watch",
      "date": "3:13 PM EDT on April 28, 2012",
      "date_epoch": "1335640380",
      "expires": "8:00 AM EDT on April 29, 2012",
      "expires_epoch": "1335700800",
      "message": "\u000A...Flash Flood Watch in effect through Sunday morning...\u000A\u000AThe National Weather Service in Charleston has issued a\u000A\u000A* Flash Flood Watch for portions of northeast Kentucky... (Note: I trimmed this for length's sake),
      "phenomena": "FF",
      "significance": "A"
      }
  ]
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>The "alerts" pair differs from others I've been able to parse because it has this <strong>[ ] bracket</strong> surrounding the sub-values and I'm not sure how to clear it so I can access the subvalues.  In the other examples I've been able to parse, it only has the <strong>{ } brackets</strong>, and not both the { } and [ ] brackets.  For reference, the brackets are always present -- even when there are no severe weather alerts... in that instance the "alerts" pair returns the brackets [ ] with no sub-pairs present.</p>
  
  <p>Is there a way I can remove the [ ] brackets from the NSDictionary, or otherwise ignore them?  Any advice would be appreciated!</p>
  
  <hr>
  
  <p>For reference and troubleshooting help, here's how I'm parsing the rest of the JSON document successfully:</p>
  
  <p>1) Create an NSDictionary from the raw JSON</p>
  
  <pre><code>//Process Weather Call
  NSError* error;
  NSDictionary* json = [NSJSONSerialization JSONObjectWithData:responseData options:kNilOptions error:&amp;error];
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>2) Create subsequent dictionaries for nested json pairs</p>
  
  <pre><code>NSDictionary *current_observation = [json objectForKey:@"current_observation"];
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>3) Assign values</p>
  
  <pre><code>NSString* weather;
  weather = [current_observation objectForKey:@"weather"];
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>So the end result would be a string that says "Partly Cloudy" or something, along with numerous related weather values that I haven't shown.  These parse successfully because they only have the scope brackets { }, and not the [ ] brackets.</p>