Open data

A subset of ECMWF real-time forecast data from the IFS and AIFS models is made available to the public free of charge. Their use is governed by the Creative Commons CC-BY-4.0 licence and the ECMWF Terms of Use. This means that the data may be redistributed and used commercially, subject to appropriate attribution.

Accessing this data, or arranging for any open data to be delivered directly to you, may be subject to Service Charges and a Service Agreement. If you are interested, please see our Service Agreement and Use Cases page.

For more information, please refer to the User Documentation or visit the ECMWF Support Portal.

This page outlines the subset of free and open IFS and AIFS parameters available.

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New from 20 October 2026

  • A finer 0.1° resolution is now published alongside the existing 0.25°, for the IFS streams (the AIFS streams remain 0.25° only). It is produced from the same high-resolution (~9 km) forecast. See What's new at 0.1°.
  • At 0.1°, each run is split into separate surface and pressure-level files (-sfc and -pl), so users in low-bandwidth regions can take only what they need. The 0.25° data stays combined.
  • The 0.1° data is published about two hours after the 0.25° data, with its own WIS2 notifications. Plan for this if your workflow expects both at once.
  • The GRIB packing precision is now tuned per parameter (bits-per-value), making files smaller without losing usable information. See Bits per value.

Bits-per-value reduction

Each value is stored in a fixed number of bits: more bits give finer steps and larger files. From 20 October 2026, precision is set per parameter based on what each field actually needs, rather than being inherited from the production and archive settings. The same packing applies to all open data — 0.25° and 0.1°, IFS and AIFS.

Fields that are read directly (for example, 2 m temperature) can use fewer bits, because the rounding is far below the accuracy of the forecast itself. Fields used to compute gradients (pressure, geopotential) keep more bits, because differencing amplifies small-scale rounding. Nothing that is used is lost. The full rationale is on the Bits per value page.

Product description

These products are a subset of the full Catalogue of ECMWF Real-time Products and are based on the medium-range (high-resolution and ensemble) and seasonal forecast models.

IFS data are published at two resolutions: the existing 0.25 degrees and, from 20 October 2026, a finer 0.1 degrees - both produced from the same IFS model and interpolated to a lat/long grid. The lower resolution data are released at the end of the real-time dissemination schedule, while the higher resolution IFS data are released 2h after the low resolution products. AIFS data are released as soon as the data are produced.

For further details about the available AIFS products, see the dataset descriptions for the Deterministic AIFS and Ensemble AIFS.

Products are provided in GRIB2 format unless stated otherwise. 

Important:

  • System stability and access limits: To ensure the stability of our systems and to preserve resources for operational activities, access to the Open-Data Portal is currently limited to between 500 and 2000 simultaneous connections. This variable limit helps ensure reliable service for operational users, especially during periods of high demand.

  • Rolling archive and data availability: ECMWF Open Data provides access to real-time forecast data on a rolling archive basis. Data are retained for the most recent 12 forecast runs, corresponding to approximately 2–3 days of forecasts based on the four daily IFS and AIFS cycles (00, 06, 12 and 18 UTC). To access the full historical data archive, see the Service Agreements and Use cases for more information.

 

Alternative access methods and cloud platforms

For improved global accessibility and added redundancy, the ECMWF Open Data subset is replicated and available on major public cloud platforms, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). These alternative access methods can be particularly useful for users with connectivity limitations, during high-demand periods, or when facing performance constraints when accessing the Open-Data Portal directly. Users can access the data directly via these public cloud storage services or use the ecmwf-opendata Python client, which lets you select the data source (ecmwf, aws, azure, or google) while providing a consistent interface across platforms. If you have difficulty accessing the Open-Data Portal directly, we recommend retrieving the data from one of these cloud service providers. For more detailed technical documentation, file naming conventions, and download examples, please see the ECMWF Open Data technical documentation.

 


IFS Data

Medium-range forecast (atmosphere): control and perturbed

class=od; stream=oper; type=fc

class=od; stream=enfo; type=pf

Steps:

  • For times 00z &12z: 0 to 144 by 3, 150 to 360 by 6.
  • For times 06z & 18z: 0 to 144 by 3. 

Type of level data:

  • Surface (sfc), Surface Other level (sol) and Pressure Level (pl)
  • Pressure levels available (hPa): 1000, 925, 850, 700, 600, 500, 400, 300, 250, 200, 150, 100, 50, 10

Only a single ID is used for Volumetric soil water and Soil Temperature, with layer 1 having level=1, layer 2 having level=2, etc. Layers 1-4 are available.

Parameters: as described below

Short name Long name Param ID Level type Bits per value
z Geopotential 129 pl 12
t Temperature 130 pl 9
u U wind component 131 pl 11
v V wind component 132 pl 11
q Specific humidity 133 pl 9
w Vertical velocity 135 pl 12
vo Relative vorticity 138 pl 12
d Divergence 155 pl 12
gh Geopotential height 156 pl 12
r Relative humidity 157 pl 7
vsw Volumetric soil water (layers 1–4) 39–42 sol 9
sot Soil temperature (layers 1–4) 139, 170, 183, 236 sol 9
msl Mean sea-level pressure 151 sfc 12
sp Surface pressure 134 sfc 12
2t 2 m temperature 167 sfc 9
2d 2 m dewpoint temperature 168 sfc 9
skt Skin temperature 235 sfc 9
10u 10 m U wind component 165 sfc 11
10v 10 m V wind component 166 sfc 11
100u 100 m U wind component 228246 sfc 11
100v 100 m V wind component 228247 sfc 11
10fg Maximum 10 m wind gust 49 sfc 10
mx2t3 Maximum 2 m temperature (3 h) 228026 sfc 9
mn2t3 Minimum 2 m temperature (3 h) 228027 sfc 9
mx2t6 Maximum 2 m temperature (6 h) 121 sfc 9
mn2t6 Minimum 2 m temperature (6 h) 122 sfc 9
tcc Total cloud cover 164 sfc 7
hcc High cloud cover 188 sfc 7
mcc Medium cloud cover 187 sfc 7
lcc Low cloud cover 186 sfc 7
tcw Total column water 136 sfc 9
tcwv Total column water vapour 137 sfc 9
cp Convective precipitation 143 sfc 12
tp Total precipitation 228 sfc 12
tprate Total precipitation rate 260048 sfc 12
tciw Total column cloud ice water 79 sfc 12
tclw Total column cloud liquid water 78 sfc 12
tcrw Total column rain water 228089 sfc 12
sf Snowfall (water equivalent) 144 sfc 11
sd Snow depth (water equivalent) 141 sfc 9
rsn Snow density 33 sfc 9
asn Snow albedo 32 sfc 8
mucape Most-unstable CAPE 228235 sfc 10
ptype Precipitation type 260015 sfc 16
ro Runoff 205 sfc 11
ssr Surface net shortwave radiation 176 sfc 10
ssrd Surface downward shortwave radiation 169 sfc 10
str Surface net longwave radiation 177 sfc 10
strd Surface downward longwave radiation 175 sfc 10
ttr Top net longwave radiation 179 sfc 10
ewss Eastward turbulent surface stress 180 sfc 12
nsss Northward turbulent surface stress 181 sfc 12
zos Sea surface height 262124 sfc 10
sithick Sea ice thickness 262000 sfc 10
sve Eastward sea-water velocity 262140 sfc 11
svn Northward sea-water velocity 262139 sfc 11
lsm Land-sea mask 172 sfc 8
z Geopotential (orography, step 0) 129 sfc 16
sdor St. dev. of sub-grid orography 160 sfc 16
slor Slope of sub-grid orography 163 sfc 16

Medium-range forecast: Tropical Cyclone Tracks

class=od; stream=oper; type=tf

class=od; stream=enfo; type=tf

The tropical cyclone trajectories are computed independently for each ensemble member; a given tropical cyclone may dissipate at different times in different members, so the number of members predicting a given tropical cyclone may vary through the forecast.

Long name Format  Type of  level Steps for times 00 &12 Steps for times 06 &18

Tropical Cyclone Trajectory (TC track including genesis)

BUFR sfc up to step 360 up to step 144

Medium-range forecast (wave): control and perturbed

class=od; stream=wave; type=fc

class=od; stream=waef; type=pf

Steps:

  • For times 00z &12z: 0 to 144 by 3, 150 to 360 by 6.
  • For times 06z & 18z: 0 to 144 by 3. (From IFS Cycle 50r1, data for 06z/18z is available under "stream=wave" replacing the former "stream=scwv".)

Type of level data: Surface (sfc)

Parameters: as described below

Short name Long name Param ID Level type Bits per value
swh Significant wave height 229 sfc 10
mwd Mean wave direction 230 sfc 10
mwp Mean wave period 232 sfc 10
pp1d Peak wave period 231 sfc 10
mp2 Mean zero-crossing wave period 140221 sfc 10
cdww Drag coefficient with waves 233 sfc 10
h1012 Sig. wave height, 10–12 s 140114 sfc 10
h1214 Sig. wave height, 12–14 s 140115 sfc 10
h1417 Sig. wave height, 14–17 s 140116 sfc 10
h1721 Sig. wave height, 17–21 s 140117 sfc 10
h2125 Sig. wave height, 21–25 s 140118 sfc 10
h2530 Sig. wave height, 25–30 s 140119 sfc 10
wmb Model bathymetry 140219 sfc 16

Medium-range post-processed products: Means and standard deviations

class=od; stream=enfo; type=em/es

​​Steps for times 00z &12z: 0 to 144 by 3, 150 to 360 by 6.

Short Name Long Name ID Level
ws Wind speed 10 pl: 250, 850
t Temperature 130 pl: 250, 500, 850
msl Mean sea level pressure 151 sfc
gh Geopotential height 156 pl: 300, 500, 1000
 

Medium-range Ensemble: Probabilities, Daily Weather Events

class=od; stream=enfo; type=ep

Ranges for times 00z &12z:  0-24 to 336-360 by 12​ (24-hour ranges with 12-hour increments)

 

Short Name Long Name ID Threshold Type of level
tpg1 Total precipitation of at least 1 mm 131060 ≥ 1 mm sfc
tpg5 Total precipitation of at least 5 mm 131061 ≥ 5 mm sfc
tpg10 Total precipitation of at least 10 mm 131062 ≥ 10 mm sfc
tpg20 Total precipitation of at least 20 mm 131063 ≥ 20 mm sfc
tpg25 Total precipitation of at least 25 mm 131098 ≥ 25 mm sfc
tpg50 Total precipitation of at least 50 mm 131099 ≥ 50 mm sfc
tpg100 Total precipitation of at least 100 mm 131085 ≥ 100 mm sfc
10fgg10 10 metre wind gusts of at least 10 m/s 131100 ≥ 10 m/s sfc
10fgg15 10 metre wind gusts of at least 15 m/s 131070 ≥ 15 m/s sfc
10fgg25 10 metre wind gusts of at least 25 m/s 131072 ≥ 25 m/s sfc

​Medium-range Ensemble: Probabilities, Instantaneous Weather Events (atmosphere)

class=od; stream=enfo; type=ep

Steps for times 00z &12z: 12 to 360 by 12​

Level: 850 hPa

Short Name Long Name ID Type of level
ptsa_gt_1stdev Probability of temperature standardized anomaly greater than 1 standard deviation 133093 pl
ptsa_gt_1p5stdev Probability of temperature standardized anomaly greater than 1.5 standard deviation 133094 pl
ptsa_gt_2stdev Probability of temperature standardized anomaly greater than 2 standard deviation 133095 pl
ptsa_lt_1stdev Probability of temperature standardized anomaly less than -1 standard deviation 133096 pl
ptsa_lt_1p5stdev Probability of temperature standardized anomaly less than -1.5 standard deviation 133097 pl
ptsa_lt_2stdev Probability of temperature standardized anomaly less than -2 standard deviation 133098 pl

Medium-range Ensemble: Probabilities, Instantaneous Weather Events (wave)

class=od; stream=waef; type=ep

​Steps for times 00z &12z: 12 to 360 by 12

Short Name Long Name ID Threshold Type of level
swhg2 Significant wave height of at least 2 m 131074 ≥ 2 m sfc
swhg4 Significant wave height of at least 4 m 131075 ≥ 4 m sfc
swhg6 Significant wave height of at least 6 m 131076 ≥ 6 m sfc
swhg8 Significant wave height of at least 8 m 131077 ≥ 8 m sfc

Seasonal Products - Not yet available (as of October 2026)

 

Name Long Name ID Type of Level Steps for time 00
sst Sea Surface Temperature 34 sfc 1 to 6 months

AIFS data 

  • 4 forecast runs per day (00/06/12/18)
  • 6 hourly steps to 360 (15 days)

AIFS Single: Forecast (atmosphere)

model=aifs-single; class=ai; stream=oper; type=fc

Steps for times 00/06/12/18: 0 to 360 by 6

Short Name Long Name ID Type of level
z Geopotential 129 sfc
z Geopotential 129 pl
t Temperature 130 pl
u U component of the wind 131 pl
v V component of the wind 132 pl
q Specific humidity 133 pl
sp Surface pressure 134 sfc
w Vertical velocity 135 pl
tcw Total column water 136 sfc
msl Mean sea level pressure 151 sfc
sdor Standard deviation of sub-gridscale orography 160 sfc
slor Slope of sub-gridscale orography 163 sfc
10u 10 metre U wind component 165 sfc
10v 10 metre V wind component 166 sfc
2t 2 metre temperature 167 sfc
2d 2 metre dewpoint temperature 168 sfc
ssrd Surface short-wave (solar) radiation downwards 169 sfc
lsm Land-sea mask 172 sfc
strd Surface long-wave (thermal) radiation downwards 175 sfc
skt Skin temperature 235 sfc
lcc Low cloud cover 3073 sfc
mcc Medium cloud cover 3074 sfc
hcc High cloud cover 3075 sfc
cp Convective precipitation 228143 sfc
sf Snowfall water equivalent 228144 sfc
tcc Total cloud cover 228164 sfc
tp Total precipitation 228228 sfc
100u 100 metre U wind component 228246 sfc
100v 100 metre V wind component 228247 sfc
rowe Runoff water equivalent (surface plus subsurface) 231002 sfc
vsw Volumetric soil moisture (layers 1-2) 260199 sol
fscov Fraction of snow cover 260289 sfc
sot Soil temperature (layers 1-2) 260360 sol

AIFS Single: Forecast (wave)

model=aifs-single; class=ai; stream=wave; type=fc

Steps for times 00/06/12/18: 0 to 360 by 6

Short name Long name ID Type of level
h1012 Significant wave height of all waves with period within the inclusive range of 10 to 12 seconds 140114 sfc
h1214 Significant wave height of all waves with period within the inclusive range of 12 to 14 seconds 140115 sfc
h1417 Significant wave height of all waves with period within the inclusive range of 14 to 17 seconds 140116 sfc
h1721 Significant wave height of all waves with period within the inclusive range of 17 to 21 seconds 140117 sfc
h2125 Significant wave height of all waves with period within the inclusive range of 21 to 25 seconds 140118 sfc
h2530 Significant wave height of all waves with period within the inclusive range of 25 to 30 seconds 140119 sfc
wmb Model bathymetry 140219 sfc
swh Significant wave height 140229 sfc
mwd Mean wave direction 140230 sfc
mwp Mean wave period 140232 sfc
cdww Coefficient of drag with waves 140233 sfc

AIFS Single: Tropical Cyclones Tracks

model=aifs-single; class=ai; stream=oper; type=tf

Long name Format  Type of  level Steps for times 00 &12 Steps for times 06 &18

Tropical Cyclone Trajectory (TC track including genesis)

BUFR sfc up to step 360 up to step 360

AIFS ENS: Forecast (atmosphere)

model=aifs-ens; class=ai; stream=enfo; type=pf/cf

Steps for times 00/06/12/18: 0 to 360 by 6

Short Name Long Name ID Type of level
z Geopotential 129 sfc
z Geopotential 129 pl
t Temperature 130 pl
u U component of wind 131 pl
v V component of wind 132 pl
q Specific humidity 133 pl
sp Surface pressure 134 sfc
w Vertical velocity 135 pl
tcw Total column water 136 sfc
msl Mean sea level pressure 151 sfc
sdor Standard deviation of sub-gridscale orography 160 sfc
slor Slope of sub-gridscale orography 163 sfc
10u 10 metre U wind component 165 sfc
10v 10 metre V wind component 166 sfc
2t 2 metre temperature 167 sfc
2d 2 metre dewpoint temperature 168 sfc
ssrd Surface short-wave (solar) radiation downwards 169 sfc
lsm Land-sea mask 172 sfc
strd Surface long-wave (thermal) radiation downwards 175 sfc
skt Skin temperature 235 sfc
lcc Low cloud cover 3073 sfc
mcc Medium cloud cover 3074 sfc
hcc High cloud cover 3075 sfc
cp Convective precipitation 228143 sfc
sf Snowfall water equivalent 228144 sfc
tcc Total cloud cover 228164 sfc
tp Total precipitation 228228 sfc
100u 100 metre U wind component 228246 sfc
100v 100 metre V wind component 228247 sfc
rowe Runoff water equivalent (surface plus subsurface) 231002 sfc
vsw Volumetric soil moisture (layers 1-2) 260199 sol
fscov Fraction of snow cover 260289 sfc
sot Soil temperature (layers 1-2) 260360 sol

AIFS ENS: Forecast (wave)

model=aifs-ens; class=ai; stream=waef; type=pf/cf

Steps for times 00/06/12/18: 0 to 360 by 6

Short name Long name ID Type of level
h1012 Significant wave height of all waves with periods within the inclusive range from 10 to 12 seconds 140114 sfc
h1214 Significant wave height of all waves with periods within the inclusive range from 12 to 14 seconds 140115 sfc
h1417 Significant wave height of all waves with periods within the inclusive range from 14 to 17 seconds 140116 sfc
h1721 Significant wave height of all waves with periods within the inclusive range from 17 to 21 seconds 140117 sfc
h2125 Significant wave height of all waves with periods within the inclusive range from 21 to 25 seconds 140118 sfc
h2530 Significant wave height of all waves with periods within the inclusive range from 25 to 30 seconds 140119 sfc
wmb Model bathymetry 140219 sfc
swh Significant wave height 140229 sfc
mwd Mean wave direction 140230 sfc
mwp Mean wave period 140232 sfc
cdww Coefficient of drag with waves 140233 sfc

AIFS ENS: Tropical Cyclones Tracks

model=aifs-ens; class=ai; stream=enfo; type=tf

Long name Format  Type of  level Steps for times 00 &12 Steps for times 06 &18

Tropical Cyclone Trajectory (TC track including genesis)

BUFR sfc up to step 360 up to step 360

AIFS ENS: Means and Standard Deviations

model=aifs-ens; class=ai; stream=enfo; type=em/es

Steps for times 00/06/12/18: 0 to 360 by 6

Short Name Long Name ID Type of level
ws Wind speed 10 pl
z Geopotential 129 pl
t Temperature 130 pl
msl Mean sea level pressure 151 sfc
2t 2 metre temperature 167 sfc
10si 10 metre wind speed 207 sfc
100si 100 metre wind speed 228249 sfc

AIFS ENS: Probabilities, Daily Weather Events 

model=aifs-ens; class=ai; stream=enfo; type=ep

Ranges for times 00/06/12/18:  0-24 to 336-360 by 12​ (24-hour ranges with 12-hour increments)

Short Name Long Name ID Threshold Type of level
tpg1 Total precipitation of at least 1 mm 131060 ≥ 1 mm sfc
tpg5 Total precipitation of at least 5 mm 131061 ≥ 5 mm sfc
tpg10 Total precipitation of at least 10 mm 131062 ≥ 10 mm sfc
tpg20 Total precipitation of at least 20 mm 131063 ≥ 20 mm sfc
tpg25 Total precipitation of at least 25 mm 131098 ≥ 25 mm sfc
tpg50 Total precipitation of at least 50 mm 131099 ≥ 50 mm sfc
tpg100 Total precipitation of at least 100 mm 131085 ≥ 100 mm sfc

​AIFS ENS: Probabilities, Averaged Events (atmosphere)

model=aifs-ens; class=ai; stream=enfo; type=ep

Ranges for times 00/06/12/18: 120-168, 168-240, and 120-240

Short Name Long Name ID Threshold Type of level
tpl01 Total precipitation less than 0.1 mm 131064 < 0.1 mm sfc
tprl1 Total precipitation rate less than 1 mm/day 131065 < 1 mm/day sfc
tprg3 Total precipitation rate of at least 3 mm/day 131066 ≥ 3 mm/day sfc
tprg5 Total precipitation rate of at least 5 mm/day 131067 ≥ 5 mm/day sfc
2tl273 2 metre temperature less than 273.15 K 131073 < 273.15 K sfc

AIFS ENS: Probabilities, Instantaneous Events (atmosphere)

model=aifs-ens; class=ai; stream=enfo; type=ep

Steps for times 00/06/12/18: 12 to 360 by 12​

Short Name Long Name ID Type of level
2tl273 2 metre temperature less than 273.15 K 131073 sfc
10spg10 10 metre wind speed probability of at least 10 m/s 133021 sfc
10spg15 10 metre wind speed probability of at least 15 m/s 133022 sfc

AIFS ENS: Probabilities, Averaged Events (wave)

model=aifs-ens; class=ai; stream=waef; type=ep

Ranges for times 00/06/12/18: 120-168, 168-240, and 120-240

Short Name Long Name ID Type of level
swhg2 Significant wave height of at least 2 m 131074 sfc
swhg4 Significant wave height of at least 4 m 131075 sfc
swhg6 Significant wave height of at least 6 m 131076 sfc
swhg8 Significant wave height of at least 8 m 131077 sfc
mwpg8 Mean wave period of at least 8 s 131078 sfc
mwpg10 Mean wave period of at least 10 s 131079 sfc
mwpg12 Mean wave period of at least 12 s 131080 sfc
mwpg15 Mean wave period of at least 15 s 131081 sfc

AIFS ENS: Probabilities, Instantaneous Events (wave)

model=aifs-ens; class=ai; stream=waef; type=ep

Steps for times 00/06/12/18: 12 to 360 by 12​

Short Name Long Name ID Type of level
swhg2 Significant wave height of at least 2 m 131074 sfc
swhg4 Significant wave height of at least 4 m 131075 sfc
swhg6 Significant wave height of at least 6 m 131076 sfc
swhg8 Significant wave height of at least 8 m 131077 sfc
mwpg8 Mean wave period of at least 8 s 131078 sfc
mwpg10 Mean wave period of at least 10 s 131079 sfc
mwpg12 Mean wave period of at least 12 s 131080 sfc
mwpg15 Mean wave period of at least 15 s 131081 sfc
Type:
Real-time
Range:
Medium (15 days)
Long (Months)
Provided by: ECMWF