In focus

Orange-yellow sand dunes. Overlaid text: ECMWF at COP28, UAE, 30 November to 12 December 2023

ECMWF at COP28

At COP28, ECMWF will discuss how, in collaboration with Member States and international partners, we can find new routes to better weather forecasts and early warning systems. We will also highlight how quality-assured data from the EU Copernicus services we run support national and global policy-making and climate action.
Atmosphere, climate, flood and wildfire images

Fact sheet: ECMWF and the EU’s Copernicus programme

ECMWF contributes to the EU's Copernicus Earth observation programme by running the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service and the Copernicus Climate Change Service, and by contributing to the Copernicus Emergency Management Service.
ECMWF at EMS Annual Meeting 2023 news item graphic

ECMWF at the EMS Annual Meeting 2023

An overview of ECMWF participation at the Annual Meeting of the European Meteorological Society (3–8 September 2023). Our scientists will discuss topics including probabilistic forecasting, weather and climate modelling, open data, machine learning, and the EU Destination Earth initiative.
Schematic of the reanalysis process

Fact sheet: Reanalysis

Reanalysis data provide the most complete picture currently possible of past weather and climate. This fact sheet explains what reanalysis is and what it is used for.
Global temperature lines for different years

July 2023 set to be hottest month on record – Copernicus and WMO

According to ERA5 data from the EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service implemented by ECMWF, the first three weeks of July have been the warmest three-week period on record and the month is on track to be the hottest on record, a press release issued by C3S and the World Meteorological Organization says.
ECMWF's high-performance computing facility

ECMWF high-performance computing facility boosts forecasts and research

In October 2022, ECMWF started to use its Atos high-performance computing facility. It has allowed the Centre to increase the resolution of its medium-range ensemble forecasts and to provide extended-range forecasts with more ensemble members.
ECMWF at EGU 2023

ECMWF science on show at EGU 2023

Many of our scientists are presenting at this year’s General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU) running from 23 to 28 April. Find out here which sessions they are involved in.

Graphic to represent ECMWF at AMS 2023

ECMWF at the AMS Annual Meeting 2023

Topics to be presented by ECMWF at the American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting (8 to 12 January 2023) range from forecasting system improvements and open data to user outreach and engagement, digital twins and the work of the EU Copernicus services implemented by ECMWF.
ECMWF NINO3.4 plot from 1 November 2022

Fact sheet: Extended- and long-range predictions

ECMWF issues extended-range weather predictions up to 46 days ahead. They are ensemble forecasts, and they show predicted week-to-week changes in the weather. Long-range predictions are ensemble forecasts, too, and they are mainly issued up to seven months ahead.
ECMWF 30yrs Ensemble

30 years of ensemble forecasting at ECMWF

2022 marks 30 years since ensemble forecasting became operational at ECMWF. Here we look back over the last three decades and forward to future developments.
ECMWF supercomputer in Bologna

Fact sheet: Supercomputing at ECMWF

Find out why ECMWF needs a supercomputer, what we use it for, and how developments in supercomputing can help to provide more skilful weather forecasts.
pdist_loop animation

European heatwave update: drought and extended-range forecasts

Another heatwave is currently affecting most of Europe with various and very high intensity levels. This follows heatwave conditions across Europe earlier this summer, which have now contributed to large parts of Europe also experiencing severe drought conditions.
18-hour forecast of 500 hPa geopotential height and 850 hPa temperature from 00 UTC 18 July 2022

Update on European heatwave of July 2022

A heatwave is currently hitting much of Europe with different but very high intensity levels. National meteorological services of each of the affected countries are responsible for the dissemination of information and warnings.
ECMWF at EGU22 graphic

ECMWF at the EGU General Assembly 2022

Find out when ECMWF staff are speaking at the General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU), being held 23–27 May 2022 both in Vienna (Austria) and online.

Earth system diagram

Global numerical modelling at the heart of ECMWF’s forecasts

Our global numerical model has evolved from atmosphere only to encompass the Earth system as a whole. This Earth system approach underpins all our forecasts and it has opened up the development of a range of environmental services.
ECMWF data centre, Bologna

Data Handling System move to new data centre: practical implications for users in 2022

ECMWF’s new data centre in Italy is close to becoming fully operational. The process has involved the migration of huge amounts of data and systems, which has been conducted with minimal disruption to our service to users. The final stages will involve the physical move of some of our equipment and we are expecting a certain level of disruption to some of our activities.

ECMWF at AMS Annual Meeting 2022

ECMWF at the AMS Annual Meeting 2022

An overview of ECMWF presentations at the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological Society (AMS), taking place virtually from 22 to 27 January 2022 under the theme 'Environmental Security: weather, water and climate for a more secure world'.
Car under fallen tree following storm

ECMWF synoptic-style weather charts – a set of tools to help forecast adverse weather

Updated in May 2021, ECMWF’s extratropical cyclone database products provide forecasters with familiar synoptic-style charts. They show fronts and low-pressure (cyclonic) weather systems that can be associated with hazardous conditions such as strong winds, snow and rain.
Earth system diagram

Fact sheet: Earth system modelling at ECMWF

ECMWF’s Earth system model aims to represent interactions between as many Earth system components as required, at the necessary level of complexity and as initialised by data assimilation, to achieve the Centre’s forecasting goals.