EURO1k: A high-resolution European weather model developed by Meteomatics

Accurate and precise weather forecasting is essential for a wide range of applications and industries, from agriculture to transportation to renewable energy. However, current weather models often struggle to represent atmospheric processes accurately due to limitations in spatial resolution. To fill this gap, Meteomatics has developed the EURO1k model, the first pan-European weather model with a spatial resolution of 1 km.

The EURO1k model grid covers 4250 x 4580 km and is run in a rapid-update setup with 24 initializations per day, each run with a lead time of 24 hours. It is based on the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and uses global ECMWF-IFS model data for boundary conditions. In addition to standard data sources such as weather stations, radar and satellite data, and radiosondes, the EURO1k model also assimilates data from a network of Meteodrones, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) developed by Meteomatics which collect vertical atmospheric profiles up to 6000m in altitude.

The high spatial and temporal resolution of the EURO1k model allows to accurately represent small-scale weather patterns, resulting in highly accurate and precise forecasts. Indeed, statistical analyses of EURO1k model output against observations from 5000 weather stations in Europe demonstrate increased accuracy compared to other global and regional models. This has important implications for industry and the public. The EURO1k model improves the forecasting of extreme weather events, allowing for better preparation and response. It also enhances the prediction of renewable energy production, thereby improving their cost efficiency and accelerating the energy transition. And, most importantly, it provides a more accurate and reliable weather forecast for communities across Europe. Overall, the EURO1k model represents a major advance in numerical weather prediction, bringing improved understanding and forecasting of the weather to a wide range of users.