In focus

Stylised digital globe composed of data points and binary code, with colourful light trails representing fast-flowing global data.

Data without friction – ECMWF’s multi-faceted approach to improving data usability

ECMWF makes vast Earth system data findable and usable by applying FAIR principles, standards, and tools, enabling seamless discovery, access, and integration for diverse users.
Digital illustration of Earth showing Europe at night, overlaid with glowing network connections across the continent.

Data sovereignty in practice: ECMWF infrastructure for European services

ECMWF operates a Europe-based sovereign computing and data ecosystem that delivers global-scale weather and climate intelligence through open platforms, high-performance computing, and secure, distributed infrastructure.
Abstract image of a smartphone displaying a “Flash Flood Warning” alert, overlaid with a clock and flowing data lines against stormy clouds.

Minutes matter: how ECMWF delivers time-critical data at global scale

ECMWF delivers vast volumes of critical weather and climate data in near real time, enabling timely warnings, decisions and responses worldwide.
Abstract digital data streams represented as glowing tubes filled with binary code.

Data friction and the user experience: a framework for improvement

ECMWF’s shift to open data highlights how reducing ‘data friction’ – from licensing to formats – unlocks greater value, expands access, and supports sustainable, scalable use of high‑quality weather information.
Photo of ECMWF's HPC illuminated green. The image is slightly swirled

The living archive: inside ECMWF’s exabyte-scale meteorological data repository

From gigabytes to exabytes, MARS has evolved into a living archive powering forecasting, research and European programmes, delivering vast volumes of meteorological data to a global user community.
Abstract graphic showing interconnected neural‑network diagrams, binary code, and geometric mesh patterns, representing AI, data flows, and complex computational networks.

Powering the AI weather revolution: from ERA5 to AI-ready pipelines

AI is transforming weather and climate prediction and Europe is leading the way with high-quality datasets, shared infrastructure, and operational frameworks.
Digital map of Europe made from glowing blue binary code with streaks of light across a dark background

ECMWF's data infrastructure and services: ready for the era of Common European Data Spaces

Umberto Modigliani, Emma Pidduck and Stephan Siemen explain how ECMWF’s modern data infrastructure, open services and cloud‑based systems position the Centre to support and lead Europe’s emerging Common European Data Spaces.
ECMWF NINO3.4 plot from 1 November 2022

Fact sheet: Sub-seasonal and seasonal predictions

ECMWF issues sub-seasonal weather predictions up to 46 days ahead. They are ensemble forecasts, and they show predicted week-to-week changes in the weather. Seasonal predictions are ensemble forecasts, too, and they are mainly issued up to seven months ahead.
From artificial intelligence (AI) to Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI)

Unlocking the black box: the potential of explainable AI in geoscience

The lack of transparency in many AI models in geoscience poses a barrier to their adoption. Revealing the factors that influence their actions, referred to as ‘Explainable Artificial Intelligence’ (XAI), demystifies how they work.
Earth observation system

Fact sheet: Earth system data assimilation

The quality of weather forecasts crucially depends on our ability to accurately estimate the current state of the Earth system. This Q&A explains how Earth system data assimilation enables us to make such estimates.
ECMWF at Living Planet Symposium 2025 graphic with globe background with grid network, and title

ECMWF at the Living Planet Symposium 2025

We are participating in the 2025 Living Planet Symposium from 23 to 27 June. Find out about our booth and which sessions our staff are involved in as speakers, poster presenters and conveners.
EGU flags in background. Text: "27 April - 2 May 2025. ECMWF at EGU General Assembly"

ECMWF at the EGU General Assembly 2025

We are participating in the European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly from 27 April to 2 May. Find out which sessions our staff are involved in as speakers, poster presenters and conveners.

Destination Earth observations-simulations image

Fact sheet: ECMWF and the EU’s Destination Earth initiative

Destination Earth (DestinE) is an ambitious initiative of the European Union to develop a highly accurate digital twin of the Earth system by 2030. ECMWF is one of three entrusted entities to implement it by delivering digital twins and the Digital Twin Engine.

A submerged traffic light and Stop sign in flooded Budapest after the Danube rises following storm 'Boris'

Storm Boris and European flooding September 2024

In this article we look at the exceptional rainfall and flooding associated with storm Boris and discuss how well the forecasts from ECMWF and the European Flood Awareness System anticipated the event.
Orange sky with bright sun rays and some clouds

Monitoring the ozone layer – the role of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service

On World Ozone Day, we look at the crucial role played by the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service in tracking the Antarctic ozone hole and providing vital data to help assess its path to recovery.
Illustration two people in conversation

Machine learning and physics in weather forecasting: a discussion between Alan Thorpe and Florian Pappenberger

Alan Thorpe, former Director-General at ECMWF, and Florian Pappenberger, our current Deputy Director-General and Director of Forecasts and Services, discuss the enormous opportunities and challenging issues for machine learning and weather forecasting.
Graphic saying GRIB2 with GRIB word cloud and code

Migration to GRIB2 data format: implications for users

For some time, ECMWF has been working towards using GRIB2 as the format for data output, bringing numerous benefits. Here we explore the advantages, the impact on users, and how to stay up-to-date with the migration progress.

Excerpt from a medium-range high-resolution forecast for Europe

Plans for high-resolution forecast (HRES) and ensemble forecast (ENS) control run

Since ECMWF medium-range ensemble (ENS) and high-resolution (HRES) forecasts now have the same horizontal resolution, we plan to stop using the term ‘HRES’. Find out about the time frame for this change.
Satellite image of globe against background of climate warming stripes. Text: ECMWF at the AMS Annual Meeting 2024

ECMWF at the AMS Annual Meeting 2024

At the American Meteorological Society (AMS) Annual Meeting 2024, ECMWF will present developments in areas including forecasting system improvements, data assimilation, our new AIFS data-driven model, data storage and extraction, open data, and global fire activity and emissions.