The following is a description of the upcoming operational release of GloFAS (v5), with launch expected soon. For an overview of other GloFAS releases, please see: GloFAS versioning system.
Summary
GloFAS v5 introduces several major changes to the system, including:
- major improvements to the open-source hydrological model: OS LISFLOOD v5.0.0
- improved input dataset, with major revisions to some of the 0.05 degrees resolution input maps (e.g. soil hydraulic properties), and to input datasets for lakes and reservoirs
- a new hydrological model calibration at 5379 in-situ gauging stations. Furthermore, a parameter regionalisation was performed to estimate the parameters of catchments for which in situ discharge observations were not available.
- new return period thresholds and snow water/soil moisture anomaly maps based on a climatology from 1980 – 2025.
- GloFAS v5 reanalysis dataset is available at the CEMS Early Warning Data Store.
This upgrade of GloFAS has large impacts on the GloFAS modelling results.
Technical details
| Release Date | 2026 (TBD) |
|---|---|
| Pre-release date (available onstage platform) | n/a |
| In test suite | n/a |
| GloFAS internal number | 005 |
| Archiving of data | ECFS, MARS, CDS |
| Reference climatology (for thresholds/ anomalies) | 1980-01-01 to 2025-12-31 |
| GloFAS Historical | 1980-01-01 to near present |
| Reforecasts | From 2003-03-27 to real time |
| Horizontal projection | EPSG4326 |
| Horizontal resolution | 0.05 x 0.05° |
| Temporal resolution | Daily |