ECMWF IFS

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Integrated Forecasting System (IFS) is one of the world's leading global numerical weather prediction models.

Live Forecast Data

• Global coverage at 9km resolution (2160x4320 grid)

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

• Extended prediction horizons up to 15 days

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

Technical Specifications

Available Weather Parameters

IFS 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
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
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
msl	air_pressure_at_mean_sea_level	Mean Sea-level Pressure	Pa
lcc	low_type_cloud_area_fraction	Low Cloud Cover	%
mcc	medium_type_cloud_area_fraction	Medium Cloud Cover	%
hcc	high_type_cloud_area_fraction	High Cloud Cover	%
tp	precipitation_amount_sum_1h	Total Precipitation	mm m⁻²
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
z_500	wind_direction_at_height_level_100m	Geopotential	m² s⁻²

Hindcast Data

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

Current Hindcast Availability

Model	Spatial Extent	Temporal Extent	Forecast Horizon and Resolution
IFS HRES	Global, 9 km resolution (2160x4320 grid)	August 2025 - today at 00, 06, 12, 18 UTC	00/12 UTC: 360h; 06/18 UTC: 144h - From 1h to 90h: hourly - From 90h to 144h: three-hourly - From 144h to 360h: six-hourly

Extended Hindcast Data (Special Request Only)

Special Request Required: The following extended hindcast data is available but requires special access permissions and is not accessible through standard API/SDK access. Contact [email protected] to request access.

Model	Spatial Extent	Extended Temporal Coverage	Forecast Horizon and Resolution	Available Parameters
IFS HRES	Global, 25 km resolution (1440x721 grid)	2018-01-01 - 2023-12-31 at 00, 12 UTC	240h, six-hourly	10m wind, 100m wind, 2m temperature, surface solar radiation, precipitation

Ad-hoc Request Only: The extended historical data (2018-2023) is only available through special ad-hoc requests due to its large data volume and storage requirements.