ECMWFs

ECMWF, or the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, is an intergovernmental organization that develops and operates a leading global numerical weather prediction system. Based near Reading, United Kingdom, its member states support its mission to provide forecast products for weather, climate, and related hazards.

The center runs the Integrated Forecast System (IFS), a sophisticated numerical weather prediction model used to produce global weather forecasts. ECMWF's operational products include medium-range forecasts (approximately up to 10 days) and probabilistic ensemble forecasts, which quantify forecast uncertainty. The organization also develops seasonal forecasts and climate data products for longer timescales.

Key activities include data assimilation, model development, ensemble forecasting, and archiving and distribution of forecast data. ECMWF maintains a large computing and data-processing facility to run its models and to manage extensive archives of observations and model outputs. Forecasts and data are provided to its member and cooperating states, and are widely used by national meteorological services, researchers, and international organizations through various data services and portals. Among its notable outputs are ERA5, a high-resolution reanalysis dataset that reconstructs historical weather and climate conditions.

ECMWF emphasizes international collaboration, scientific research, and the sharing of meteorological data to improve forecast skill. Governance is by a Council representing member states, with operations led by a director-general and a scientific and technical staff.