ECMWF is updating the default versions of its software packages and libraries used across all user platforms at the centre as part of the regular update cycle.

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Table of contents

Highlights

Software stack ready for next operational IFS cycle

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For those still using Python 2, note that this major version of Python reached its end of life on 1st January 2020, If you haven't done moved to Python 3.6 yet, please see Migration to Python 3 for some guidance on where to start. We are providing a the latest Python 2.7 for compatibility purposes only.

Metview improvements

Metview, ECMWF's interactive and batch software for manipulation and plotting of data, brings a number of new features and improvements, such as:

• TBA

Codes UI efficiency improvements

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ECMWF software improvements

See the blog posts for the latest two software releases to learn about what is new in some of our own software packages and libraries such as ecCodes, Magics or Metview.

• March 2021 software release
• January 2021 software release

Potentially disruptive changes in ecCodes

It is worth highligting a number of changes in ecCodes that could have an impact in specific user workflows:

• The GRIB2 representation of parameter 238 (Temperature of snow layer - tsn) has been modified. See the new encoding here: https://apps-test.ecmwf.int/codes/grib/param-db/?id=238
• The command codes_info -v no longer outputs a trailing space. Some user scripts may need to be modified.
• grib_get_data output is slightly modified: Words on the first line are now separated by spaces not commas.
• The tools now check that the output file is not the same as the input to avoid overwriting/corrupting the source.
• The MARS keys levtype and levelist have been removed from the GRIB2 templates 4.53 and 4.54.

A lot of other bugfixes and improvements

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