News

IFS Cycle 47r1 May 2020 webinar details

Webinars to explain how June’s IFS upgrade improves forecasts

ECMWF upgrades its forecasting system on a regular basis, and one such upgrade is planned for 30 June 2020. Director of Forecasts Florian Pappenberger will explain how the changes improve forecasts in two webinars on 27 and 28 May 2020.
Satellite image of dust plumes off west Africa 1 March 2017

Progress towards using visible light satellite data in weather prediction

ECMWF scientists have made progress in using visible light satellite data to estimate the concentration of small particles suspended in the atmosphere. Their work could pave the way for the fuller use of such data in numerical weather prediction.
Four types of weather-related hazard

Two European projects on weather-related hazards achieve their goals

The EU-funded IMPREX and ANYWHERE projects on weather-related hazards have received positive final review reports. ECMWF has contributed to and benefited from the projects.
Storm Dennis on 15 February 2020

TIGGE ensemble forecast database for research continues to grow

The TIGGE database of global medium-range ensemble forecasts hosted by ECMWF holds a growing range of data from 11 forecasting centres readily available to researchers worldwide.
ECMWF at EGU 2020

ECMWF at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2020

Dozens of ECMWF scientists have uploaded presentations or will act as conveners at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly 2020 from 4 to 8 May, which will take place as an online event this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Inna Polichtchouk

How to optimise mathematical methods to model the stratosphere

Early in her training in mathematics, Inna Polichtchouk developed an interest in atmospheric dynamics. Her expertise is now helping ECMWF to get a better grip on the dynamics of the stratosphere.
ECMWF Newsletter 163 cover

Spring 2020 Newsletter published

The spring 2020 issue of the ECMWF Newsletter is now available. As well as news about ECMWF staff and events, it features articles about new developments and the use that can be made of ECMWF products.
European State of the Climate 2019: temperature anomaly chart

New report on European climate confirms 2019 as warmest year

A detailed report on the state of the European climate has confirmed that 2019 was the warmest year on record, continuing a trend that means 11 of the 12 warmest years in Europe have occurred since 2000. The report was released by the EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service implemented by ECMWF.
IFS Cycle 47r1 April 2020 webinar details

Webinars scheduled to explain upcoming changes in June’s forecasting system upgrade

ECMWF upgrades its forecasting system on a regular basis, and one such upgrade is planned for 30 June 2020. Director of Research Andy Brown will explain how the changes will improve forecasts in two webinars on 21 and 22 April 2020.
Machine learning seminar image

Seminars to probe potential for machine learning in weather prediction

ECMWF is organising a series of seminars given by external experts to explore aspects of the use of machine learning in weather prediction and climate studies. The first will take place on 28 April and will be live-streamed.
Florian Pappenberger at WCB workshop March 2020

Experts probe ‘warm conveyor belts’ to improve weather forecasts

ECMWF brought together over 100 experts in a virtual workshop from 10 to 12 March 2020 to discuss how the latest research on a type of air flow known as warm conveyor belts can help to improve weather forecasts.
Passenger plane flying through clouds, Serjio74/iStock/Thinkstock

Drop in aircraft observations could have impact on weather forecasts

One aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a reduction in the aircraft-based observations available to weather prediction centres at the start of forecasts. At ECMWF, aircraft reports are second only to satellite data in their impact on forecasts.
World Meteorological Day 2020 poster

World Meteorological Day focuses on climate and water

This year, World Meteorological Day on 23 March and World Water Day share the theme of climate and water. In a message to mark the day, WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said the world faces challenges over floods, droughts and access to clean supplies.
WDQMS surface availability map example

WMO and ECMWF launch new web tool to monitor quality of observations

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and ECMWF launched a new web-based interface on 17 March 2020 to help monitor the availability and quality of global meteorological observations.
ERA5 Explorer temperature map

Data store opens window on past, present and projected climate

The EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) implemented by ECMWF has developed a Climate Data Store that lets anyone discover the world’s past, present and projected climate.
Passenger plane flying through clouds, Serjio74/iStock/Thinkstock

More and better aircraft weather observations are possible, experts say

Improvements in aircraft weather observation numbers, quality and metadata are possible if numerical weather prediction centres work with the WMO, EUMETNET and the aviation sector, according to experts who met at ECMWF in February.
Warm conveyor belt workshop 'virtual' graphic

Warm conveyor belt workshop 10–12 March to be virtual event

The warm conveyor belt workshop from 10 to 12 March 2020 will be virtual for external participants as part of measures to minimise potential exposure to the coronavirus (COVID-19). Registration has been re-opened to enable more people to participate remotely.
ESoWC 2020 logo

ECMWF launches new weather- and climate-related coding challenges

ECMWF has published the challenges for its third Summer of Weather Code (ESoWC). Applicants have until 22 April 2020 to submit proposals for weather- and climate-related projects that address the challenges of handling large amounts of data and transforming it into information.
ARISTOTLE-ENHSP meeting participants at ECMWF February 2020

European multi-hazard service moves towards operations

Experts from four research and forecasting centres met at ECMWF on 4 and 5 February 2020 to drive forward the creation of a 24/7 European multi-hazard virtual advice service for natural disasters.