ECMWF

26/06/2026

25/06/2026

New cloud radar data from the ESA-JAXA EarthCARE (Earth Clouds, Aerosols and Radiation Explorer) satellite mission is being assimilated into ECMWF’s global forecasting system – the first time any operational forecasting centre has assimilated this type of data.

The new observations provide an unprecedented view of the vertical structure of clouds and precipitation across the globe. Incorporating this information into the Integrated Forecasting System (IFS) will help to improve its forecasts.

ECMWF Director-General Florian Pappenberger said: “The new data from the Cloud Profiling Radar on the joint ESA-JAXA EarthCARE mission is a crucial step for reducing uncertainties in how clouds influence the weather.”

ESA - European Space Agency
JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)

More information
➡️ https://www.ecmwf.int/en/about/media-centre/news/2026/earthcare-cloud-radar-data-world-first

24/06/2026

The ECMWF Annual Report 2025 is now available online!

It provides an overview of activities throughout the year from across the organisation, carried out with the support of our Member and Co-operating States and the wider meteorological community.

Key developments included
• improvements for the Integrated Forecasting System (IFS)
• the operationalisation of the Artificial Intelligence Forecasting System (AIFS)
• improvements in forecast skill

Find out more in the report
➡️ https://www.ecmwf.int/en/about/media-centre/stories/annual-report-2025

24/06/2026

Ground-level ozone is a key air quality hazard in summertime. As a secondary pollutant, it forms through chemical reactions involving precursor pollutants, while heat, solar radiation and stable anticyclonic conditions can favour higher concentrations.

As a large part of Europe is going through a new heatwave, this article explains the processes behind ozone pollution and shows how supports its monitoring across Europe through forecasts, analyses and atmospheric composition data.

Read more: https://atmosphere.copernicus.eu/ozone-pollution-air-quality-hazard-summer

23/06/2026

ECMWF has joined the Risk-informed Early Action Partnership (REAP), a global initiative that aims to strengthen early warning systems and improve anticipatory action in the face of climate- and weather-related hazards.

REAP brings together over 100 partners from across the climate, development, humanitarian and hydrometeorological communities.

Through its involvement in REAP, ECMWF will explore opportunities to strengthen the use of advanced forecasting capabilities, including machine learning-based approaches and supporting improved access to open meteorological and climate data.

Stijn Vermoote, Head of Partnerships and Engagement at ECMWF, said: “Joining REAP brings together ECMWF’s expertise with REAP’s action-focused network to strengthen early warning systems and early action financing, helping communities act sooner, reduce risk and save lives.”

More information
➡️ https://www.ecmwf.int/en/about/media-centre/news/2026/ecmwf-joins-reap

23/06/2026

🌍🌐 Today is International Women in Engineering Day.

On this occasion, we are continuing our DestinE ML blog series, this time with a contribution from ECMWF scientist Rachel Furner from the Ocean Modelling team.

As part of the European Commission’s Destination Earth (DestinE) initiative, ECMWF and partners are developing machine learning (ML)-based components for next-generation Earth system models.

In this blog, we explore ECMWF’s ML-based ocean model, which aims to provide an accurate and computationally efficient representation of the ocean system.

✍️ By Rachel Furner, ECMWF scientist (Ocean Modelling Team)

📖 Read the blog: ➡️ https://destine.ecmwf.int/news/destine-blog-towards-an-ml-based-earth-system-model-oceans/

23/06/2026

The era of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)-powered weather forecasting is here to stay.

But far from making traditional approaches such as reanalysis irrelevant, AI/ML weather models have instead brought reanalysis back to the spotlight, highlighting their importance as the “memory” of the Earth system and helping us understand both the present and the future.

But what exactly is reanalysis, and why does it matter for climate and weather science?

Find out in our Science Blog
➡️ https://www.ecmwf.int/en/about/media-centre/science-blog/2026/reanalysis-past-present-future-weather-climate

22/06/2026

ECMWF researchers have conducted the 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 with climate change yet.

The findings, published in Springer Nature Climate Change today, reveal that heat stress seasons are lengthening, with more frequent and severe compound events.

These trends pose an escalating threat to health, livelihoods and economic productivity worldwide. Heat exacerbates cardiovascular, respiratory and mental health conditions and can especially affect, for example, vulnerable people, outdoor workers and urban residents.

Here are the 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀:

• Strong to extreme heat stress is now more frequent on every continent than in the 1970s.

• The hottest nights are warming faster than the hottest days of the year.

• The number of heat stress days and tropical nights per year have both increased across the globe.

• In the northern hemisphere, the heat stress season has lengthened, particularly in Europe and Africa.

Read the article here
➡️ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-026-02670-5

22/06/2026

21/06/2026

Users of ECMWF data are addressing some of the most pressing challenges in the meteorological and climatological communities.

Here are 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗘𝗖𝗠𝗪𝗙 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 and how access to consistent, high-quality datasets delivers impact:

• At CentraleSupélec, researchers developed an innovative approach to managing financial risk for solar energy producers facing increasingly unpredictable weather. Their work relied on access to ECMWF products, specifically irradiance and temperature forecasts from the ECMWF operational archive.

• Researchers at the Institute of Oceanography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, developed a novel contrastive learning model that significantly improves the forecasting of tropical cyclone rapid intensification utilising ECMWF forecast and analysis data.

• Researchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory - NRL investigated how wildfire smoke influences the stratosphere. Access to ECMWF’s operational archive enabled the analysis of forecasts without aerosol heating.

These examples show how ECMWF products support a wide and evolving range of user needs.

Research institutions, humanitarian agencies, NGOs or organisations working for societal benefit may be eligible to have ECMWF service charges waived.

Read more in ECMWF’s Spring Newsletter
➡️ https://www.ecmwf.int/en/newsletter/187/news/turning-historical-operational-forecast-data-impact