DWD ICON Global

The ICON (Icosahedral Nonhydrostatic) model is a numerical weather prediction model developed by the German Weather Service (Deutscher Wetterdienst, DWD).

Live Forecast Data

• Global coverage at 13 km resolution (1440x2880 grid)

• Four daily runs (00, 06, 12, 18 UTC)

• 00/12 UTC runs: 180h forecast (7.5 days); 06/18 UTC runs: 120h forecast (5 days)

• Hourly up to 78h, then 3-hourly

• Real-time data access via Python SDK or REST API

Technical Specifications

Available Weather Parameters

ICON uses standardized variable naming conventions. For full details on the naming structure, see Weather Variable Naming.

Code	API Name	Description	Units
2t	air_temperature_at_height_level_2m	Air temperature at 2m	Kelvin
2d	dew_point_temperature_at_height_level_2m	Dew point temperature at 2m	Kelvin
sp	surface_air_pressure	Surface Pressure	Pa
msl	air_pressure_at_mean_sea_level	Mean Sea-level Pressure	Pa
z_500	geopotential_at_pressure_level_50000Pa	Geopotential	m² s⁻²
10si	wind_speed_at_height_level_10m	Horizontal wind speed at 10m	m s⁻¹
10wdir	wind_direction_at_height_level_10m	Horizontal wind direction at 10m	Degrees true
20si	wind_speed_at_height_level_20m	Horizontal wind speed at 20m	m s⁻¹
40si	wind_speed_at_height_level_40m	Horizontal wind speed at 40m	m s⁻¹
60si	wind_speed_at_height_level_60m	Horizontal wind speed at 60m	m s⁻¹
80si	wind_speed_at_height_level_80m	Horizontal wind speed at 80m	m s⁻¹
100si	wind_speed_at_height_level_100m	Horizontal wind speed at 100m	m s⁻¹
100wdir	wind_direction_at_height_level_100m	Horizontal wind direction at 100m	Degrees true
120si	wind_speed_at_height_level_120m	Horizontal wind speed at 120m	m s⁻¹
140si	wind_speed_at_height_level_140m	Horizontal wind speed at 140m	m s⁻¹
160si	wind_speed_at_height_level_160m	Horizontal wind speed at 160m	m s⁻¹
180si	wind_speed_at_height_level_180m	Horizontal wind speed at 180m	m s⁻¹
200si	wind_speed_at_height_level_200m	Horizontal wind speed at 200m	m s⁻¹
tcc	cloud_area_fraction_at_entire_atmosphere	Total Cloud Cover	%
lcc	cloud_area_fraction_at_entire_atmosphere_low_type	Low Cloud Cover	%
mcc	cloud_area_fraction_at_entire_atmosphere_medium_type	Medium Cloud Cover	%
hcc	cloud_area_fraction_at_entire_atmosphere_high_type	High Cloud Cover	%
ssrd	surface_downwelling_shortwave_flux_sum_1h	Surface solar downward irradiance	J m⁻²
fdir	surface_direct_downwelling_shortwave_flux_sum_1h	Direct solar radiation at the surface	J m⁻²
tp	precipitation_amount_sum_1h	Total Precipitation	mm m⁻²

Hindcast Data

Data Access: Hindcasts are available via API or SDK. For bulk, grid-based access, please contact [e-mail].

Model	Spatial Extent	Temporal Extent
ICON Global	Global, 13 km resolution (1440x2880 grid)	2025-08-16 00:00 - today