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The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF, the Centre) is an international organisation supported by eighteen European States:

Belgium, Denmark, Federal Republic of Germany, Spain, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Yugoslavia*, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom.

* inactive since 5 June 1992

The Centre has concluded co-operation agreements with Croatia, Iceland, Hungary, and Slovenia, and has working arrangements with the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites ( EUMETSAT), and the African Centre for Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD).

Originally a COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) project, the Centre was established in 1973 by a Convention.

The first real-time medium-range forecasts were made in June 1979. The Centre has been producing operational medium-range weather forecasts since 1 August 1979.

The objectives of the centre

The principal objectives of the Centre are:

  • the development of numerical methods for medium-range weather forecasting;
  • the preparation, on a regular basis, of medium-range weather forecasts for distribution to the meteorological services of the Member States;
  • scientific and technical research directed to the improvement of these forecasts;
  • collection and storage of appropriate meteorological data.

In addition, the Centre:

  • makes available a proportion of its computing facilities to its Member States for their research;
  • assists in implementing the programmes of the World Meteorological Organisation;
  • provides advanced training to the scientific staff of the Member States in the field of numerical weather prediction;
  • makes the data in its extensive archives available to outside bodies.
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