AROME vs ICON-D2
AROME or ICON-D2: which high-resolution model is better?
Both are kilometre-scale models for the first day or two. AROME (Météo-France, 1.3 km) covers France, the Channel, the Bay of Biscay and the western Mediterranean. ICON-D2 (DWD, 2.2 km) covers Germany, the Benelux, the Alps and the western Baltic. The better one is mostly the one that covers your sea area.
| AROME | ICON-D2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Météo-France | DWD |
| Type | Regional model | Regional model |
| Area | France, Channel, Biscay, western Mediterranean | Germany, Benelux, Alps, western Baltic |
| Grid size | about 1.3 km | about 2.2 km |
| Updates | 5 times a day | 8 times a day |
| Looks ahead | 2 days | 2 days |
| Data licence | Etalab Open Licence 2.0 | CC-BY-4.0 (DWD open data) |
Choose AROME when
- You are sailing the Channel, Biscay or the French Mediterranean coast.
- You want the finest grid available.
- You are watching coastal wind effects and thermal breezes.
Choose ICON-D2 when
- You are in the North Sea, the Dutch or German coast or the western Baltic.
- You want a model that updates every 3 hours.
- You want to cross-check AROME in the overlap area.
On the water
Where the areas overlap, such as the southern North Sea and the Channel, compare the two.
Figures come from the Ilma catalog and the providers' own pages. Forecast skill changes as models are upgraded, so this page describes what each model is built for, not a ranking.