ECMWF vs UKMO
ECMWF and the UK Met Office Unified Model are the two top-scoring global models in most verification tables, with ECMWF usually slightly ahead in the medium range. For the UK and Ireland, the Met Office's 2 km UKV adds short-range detail ECMWF's 9 km grid cannot match. When ECMWF and UKMO agree, confidence is high.
| ECMWF IFS | UK Met Office | |
|---|---|---|
| Run by | European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts | Met Office (United Kingdom) |
| Origin | Europe | United Kingdom |
| Resolution | 9 km (IFS HRES) | ~10 km global; 2 km UKV over the UK |
| Model runs | 4 per day (00, 06, 12, 18 UTC) | 2–4 per day |
| Forecast range | up to 15 days | up to 7 days |
| Type | Physics-based NWP | Physics-based NWP |
| Also called | European model, Euro, IFS, ECMWF HRES | UK model, Met Office Unified Model, UKV |
| Strengths | Large-scale pattern and storm track 3–10 days out, pressure systems, medium-range temperature. | Atlantic depressions, UK and Ireland rain and wind, medium-range pattern. |
| Weaknesses | A 9 km grid still smooths narrow valleys and coastlines; convective showers are parameterised, not resolved. | Open data covers about 7 days. |
Key differences
- Medium range: ECMWF slight edge; UKMO a close second globally.
- UK short range: UKV at 2 km is the specialist.
- Range: UKMO open data about 7 days, ECMWF 15 days.
Questions
Is ECMWF or UKMO more accurate?
ECMWF and the UK Met Office Unified Model are the two top-scoring global models in most verification tables, with ECMWF usually slightly ahead in the medium range. For the UK and Ireland, the Met Office's 2 km UKV adds short-range detail ECMWF's 9 km grid cannot match. When ECMWF and UKMO agree, confidence is high.
Which is the European model and which is the American model?
The "European model" is ECMWF (IFS, and its AI sibling AIFS). The "American model" is NOAA's GFS. The German model is ICON, the Canadian model GEM, the UK model UKMO and the French models ARPEGE/AROME.
Where can I see ECMWF and UKMO side by side?
On every MeteoStack city page: the stack shows ECMWF, UKMO and up to ten other models hour by hour, with their median consensus, spread and rain odds. It is free and works for any place on Earth.
More comparisons
ECMWF vs GFS · ECMWF vs ICON · GFS vs ICON · ECMWF vs AIFS · ECMWF vs UKMO · GFS vs GEM · ECMWF vs GEM · ICON vs ARPEGE · GFS vs AIFS · UKMO vs GFS · ECMWF vs JMA · ICON vs UKMO · ECMWF vs ARPEGE · GFS vs JMA