ECMWF IFS vs UKMO Global
ECMWF or UK Met Office: which is better for the North Atlantic?
The Met Office global model is the one behind UK marine forecasts and is regarded as a strong performer over the North Atlantic and around the British Isles. ECMWF is usually considered the more skilful overall, but offshore the two are often close.
| ECMWF IFS | UKMO Global | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | ECMWF | Met Office |
| Type | Global model | Global model |
| Area | Global | Global |
| Grid size | about 9 km | about 10 km |
| Updates | 4 times a day | 4 times a day |
| Looks ahead | 15 days | 7 days |
| Data licence | CC-BY-4.0 (open data) | — |
Choose ECMWF IFS when
- You want the model with the best overall reputation.
- You are looking further ahead than a week.
- You need open data you can download yourself.
Choose UKMO Global when
- You are sailing around the UK, Ireland or in the North Atlantic.
- You want the model that feeds the UK shipping forecast.
- You want a close second opinion to ECMWF.
On the water
Around the British Isles, looking at both and noticing where they differ is more useful than picking a winner.
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.