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To generate this ERA5 hourly time series dataset, homogenisation conventions have been applied to the ERA5 source GRIB data to ensure consistency, usability, and alignment across chosen variables and time steps. The processed data were then written to an ARCO Zarr archive, enabling efficient cloud-optimised access and scalable data retrieval. Please see details below. The dataset presented here is a subset of selected parameters from the full CDS ERA5 pressure levels hourly dataset. Requirements for additional parameters may be considered. Please raise your request with ECMWF Support here. |
ERA5 is the fifth generation ECMWF reanalysis for the global climate and weather and currently covers the past 80 years. It covers the period from January 1940 to the present with hourly sampling and continues to be extended forward in time with a latency of 5 days behind real time.
The time-series dataset presented here contains a 6-hourly subset of a few selected variables from the full CDS ERA5 pressure levels hourly dataset and is stored in Analysis Ready Cloud Optimised (ARCO) format, which has been implemented for retrieving long time-series for a single point in a efficient way.
The process to generate this dataset involves:
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The ARCO data is stored as Zarr datacubes.
The data is now available from the Climate Data Store (CDS), either interactively through its download web form or programmatically using the CDS API service:
ERA5 hourly time-series data on pressure levels from 1940 to present
The pressure levels parameters have a grid of 0.25 degrees.
Please be aware when you select a "Location" on the form, the latitude and longitude values are rounded to the closest neighborhood point of the degrees grid. Similarly, selecting an “Area” returns all points within the region defined by the nearest neighborhood corner points to the user-specified S, W, N, and E latitude/longitude values. |
Temporal frequency of the data is 6-hourly at 00:00 , 06:00, 12:00, 18:00 UTC.
The format options available on the CDS are netCDF format or CSV format.
ERA5 is updated on a daily basis. New daily data in ERA5 becomes available in ERA5 Time Series in a few hours.
Variations in delivery times may occur due to the non-operational nature of this CDS service, as issues may arise which cause delays. |
The levels available in the files are: 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 850, 925, 1000 hPa.
Table 1 below lists the pressure levels parameters.
| Name | Units | Variable name | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geopotential | m2 s-2 | geopotential | |
| 2 | Specific humidity | kg kg-1 | specific_humidity | |
| 3 | Temperature | K | temperature | |
| 4 | U component of wind | m s-1 | u_component_of_wind | |
| 5 | V component of wind | m s-1 | v_component_of_wind | |
| 6 | Vertical velocity | Pa s-1 | vertical_velocity |
Please refer to the ERA5 documentation.
Further ERA5 references are available from the ECMWF website.
This document has been produced in the context of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). The activities leading to these results have been contracted by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, operator of C3S on behalf of the European Union (Delegation Agreement signed on 11/11/2014 and Contribution Agreement signed on 22/07/2021). All information in this document is provided "as is" and no guarantee or warranty is given that the information is fit for any particular purpose. The users thereof use the information at their sole risk and liability. For the avoidance of all doubt , the European Commission and the European Centre for Medium - Range Weather Forecasts have no liability in respect of this document, which is merely representing the author's view. |