siri now asks for location. never done this before. what gives?

You need to keep Wi-Fi on if you want location services to be accurate. GPS satellites only are useful outdoors with a clear view of the sky. If the sky is blocked by tall buildings, tree cover, or even heavy precipitation (or indoors) location services falls back to using the location of known Wi-Fi hotspots (it only receives the Wi-Fi signals, it doesn’t connect). But with Wi-Fi off location services just won’t be able to determine location.

If you open the Weather app does it show your current location at the top of the list>

Let’s investigate what may have changed.

• Do you have Wi-Fi on all the time, as it’s needed for precise locations
• Have you moved recently, and taken your router with you
• Are you using VPN; in particular, have you recently started using it
• Have you changed carriers recently

Do you have location services turned on for the Weather app?