Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss

Products from COSMO

The domain of COSMO-7 has 393x338 grid points with a grid-spacing of 6.6 km (0.06°). It covers the entire western and central Europe (from Ireland, Denmark, Poland in the North to Portugal and Italy in the South). The corners of the domain are the following: NW: (54.47 N, 18.40 W), NE: (56.84 N, 23.02 E), SW: (35.16 N, 9.80 W), and SE: (36.81 N, 18.87 E). In the vertical direction the model has 60 levels. The highest point of the topography reaches 3122 m asl. For each of these 7’970’040 grid points the weather evolution is calculated in steps of 72 seconds.

 

The domain of COSMO-2 has 520x350 grid points with a grid-spacing of 2.2 km (0.02°). It covers the Alpine arc, with Switzerland in the center. The corners of the domain are the following: NW: (49.66 N, 1.19 E), NE: (49.76 N, 17.25 E), SW: (42.72 N, 2.25 E), and SE: (42.81 N, 16.37 E). In the vertical direction the model has the same 60 levels as COSMO-7; the highest point of the topography reaches 3950 m asl. For each of these totally 10’920’000 grid points the weather evolution is calculated in steps of 20 seconds.

 

Standard products
The e-Shop provides maps of humidity, wind, surface pressure and precipitation (6- and 24-hourly sums) based on COSMO-7 forecasts, and actualized twice a day.

Customized products
More products can be ordered, customized to your needs and delivered in real-time via the standard data transfer method (E-mail, ftp, scp, ...). Both grid points values, in ASCII or WMO GRIB, and maps or animations are available.
We roughly distinguish three classes of products:
• Maps and animations of horizontal fields;
• Vertical profiles at any grid point;
• Tables with weather elements at any location of the model domain.

Operational products
In the following all operational COSMO products are listed, sorted by weather element:

Temperature
• Temperature at 2 m above surface at the locations of the mesonet stations ANETZ corrected with a Kalman filter (table)
• Temperature at 10, 30 und 65 m above surface at the locations of the mesonet stations ANETZ (table)
• Temperature at the earth surface at the locations of the mesonet stations ANETZ (table)
• Vertical temperature profiles at all locations of SYNOP radiosoundings (in Switzerland: Payerne).
• Temperature in the free atmosphere at 1000m, 2000m, 3000m, 4000m, 5000m, 8500m and 10500m (image for the Alpine region)
• Temperature in the free atmosphere at 850, 700, 500 oder 300 hPa (plots for the entire model domain and for subdomains)
• Height of the zero degree line every three hours into the forecast time (image for a part of the model domain)
• animation of the temperature at 2 m for the entire model domain

Humidity
• Dew point at 2 m above surface at the locations of the mesonet stations ANETZ (table) with a Kalmanfilter-correction (table)
• Relative humidity at 2 m above surface at the locations of the mesonet stations ANETZ (table)
• Vertical profile of dew point at the locations of SYNOP radiosoundings (in Switzerland: Payerne)
• Relative humidity in the free atmosphere at 850 hPa and 700 hPa (plots for the entire model domain and for subdomains)
• Animation of the hourly prediction of relative humidity at 850, 700 and 500 hPa above the entire model domain.

Rain and snow (precipitation)
• Animation of the sum of total precipitation (rain and snow) for 1, 3 or 6 hours, respectively, for the entire model domain or for the subdomain covered by the weather radars of MeteoSwiss.
• Sum of total precipitation (rain and snow) for 3, 6, 12 or 24 hours, respectively (plots for the entire model domain and for subdomains)
• 3 hours sum of total precipitation at the locations of the mesonet stations ANETZ (table)
• 3 hours sum of snow at the locations of the mesonet stations ANETZ (table)
• 3 hours fraction of snow in total precipitation at the locations of the mesonet stations ANETZ (table).
• Height of the snow line (plot for subdmains)

Wind (direction and speed)
• Direction and speed at 10 m above surface (plots for the entire model domain and for subdomains; display of wind speed: arrow length proportional to speed and symbols according to WMO conventions, respectively)
• Direction and speed 10 m above surface at the locations of the mesonet stations ANETZ (table)
• Direction and speed at about 800 m above surface (plots for the entire model domain and for subdomains; display of wind speed: arrow length proportional to speed and symbols according to WMO conventions, respectively)
• Direction and speed at 850 hPa and 700 hPa above surface (plots for the entire model domain and for subdomains; display of wind speed: arrow length proportional to speed and symbols according to WMO conventions, respectively)
• Direction and speed in the free atmosphere at 1000m, 2000m, 3000m, 4000m, 5000m, 8500m and 10500m every 3 hours (plot for Alpine region)
• Wind speed at 300 hPa (plots for the entire model domain and for subdomains)
• Vertical profile at the locations of SYNOP radiosoundings (in Switzerland: Payerne)
• Maximum speed (wind gust) at 10 m above surface for the last 3 hours at the locations of the mesonet stations ANETZ (table)
• Maximum wind gusts at 10 m above surface for the last 3 hours (plots for the entire model domain and for subdomains)
• Animation of the maximum wind gusts at 10m above surface for the entire model domain (hourly resolution).

Surface pressure and geopotential
• Surface pressure reduced to mean sea level at the locations of the mesonet stations ANETZ (table)
• Pressure tendency for the last 3 hours at the locations of the mesonet stations ANETZ (table)
• Surface pressure reduced to mean sea level (plots for the entire model domain and for subdomains)
• Geopotential at 850, 700, 500 and 300 hPa (plots for the entire model domain and for subdomains)

Cloud cover
• Animation of the cloud cover (total, high, mid-level, low) for the entire model domain.
• Cloud cover (total, high, mid-level, low; plots for the entire model domain and for subdomains)
• Cloud cover (total, high, mid-level, tow) at the locations of the mesonet stations ANETZ (table)

Radiation and evaporation
• Global radiation (hourly averages) at the locations of the mesonet stations ANETZ (table)
• 3 h sums of evaporation at the locations of the mesonet stations ANETZ (table)

Trajectories
• Trajectories (forward and backward) for an arbitrary start grid point, height and time (forward trajectories), or for an arbitrary arrival grid point, height and time (backward trajectories).


Additional specialized products
For special applications (e.g., scientific research) additional variables with hourly resolution on the whole model domain are available (maps, tables, binary data):
• Vertical wind in the free atmosphere (on model levels and on the pressure levels 850, 700, 500 and 300 hPa, respectively)
• Temperature of the snow cover
• Temperature at the boundaries between soil layers
• Water content of the snow cover
• Water content of the soil layers
• Turbulent transfer coefficient for momentum at the surface
• Turbulent transfer coefficient for heat and humidity at the surface
• Net radiation at the surface (shortwave/longwave)
• Net radiation at the upper boundary of the model (shortwave/longwave)
• Photosynthetically active radiation at the surface
• Albedo of the surface (for shortwave radiation)
• Stratiform rain
• Convective rain
• Stratiform snowfall
• Convective snowfall
• Runoff at surface
• Runoff within soil
• Area index of the base of the convective clouds
• Area index of the upper limit of the convective clouds
• Zonal momentum flux at the surface
• Meridional momentum flux at the surface
• Sensible heat flux at the surface
• Latent heat flux at the surface

 

Contact / order of data

Use this form for a non-binding request. Our specialists are pleased to advise you and will look for the solution most approriate to your needs.

COSMO products in the e-Shop

Available in the e-shop are standard graphics/animations for wind (10 m, 800 m, 850 hPa, 700 hPa) and precipitation (6- and 24-hour total) for the whole model area, also converted to high resolution for Switzerland and the Alpine region, as well as pressure at ground level and relative humidity. Model forecasts

Professional packages with COSMO products

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