High-Resolution U.S. Weather Model: Empowering Smarter Decisions

US1k delivers unparalleled hourly weather insights with a groundbreaking 1-kilometer spatial resolution. 

The model covers the U.S. and the Gulf of Mexico and empowers businesses to make smarter, faster decisions that optimize operations, enhance efficiency, and ensure reliability.

With advanced forecasting, rapid updates, and extensive coverage, US1k sets a new benchmark for actionable, localized weather intelligence.

The Trusted Weather Intelligence Behind Industry Leaders

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Why Choose US1k?

The model redefines short-term weather forecasting for the contiguous U.S. and Gulf of Mexico with a horizontal grid resolution of 1 kilometer (~0.62 miles). This granular detail enables the detection of even the most localized atmospheric phenomena, such as isolated thunderstorms, sea breezes, and urban heat islands.

Unlike traditional models, US1k updates hourly using advanced data assimilation techniques, including radar and satellite data, to provide insights with 15-minute time resolution and a forecast range of up to 48 hours. 

US1k is designed to augment models like HRRR by offering more comprehensive coverage, better lead times, and higher resolution forecasts. 

It combines the best of ECMWF’s global capabilities with robust U.S.-based observational data, creating the most reliable, high-resolution weather model tailored to American industries.

Whether in agriculture, energy, transportation, or emergency management, US1k delivers the actionable insights you need to stay ahead.

Key Features of US1k

  • Unmatched Resolution: With a 1-kilometer (~0.62-mile) grid, US1k delivers detailed, localized forecasts, capturing small-scale weather events like heavy downpours, localized flooding, and even potential tornado formation.
  • Enhanced Coverage: Covering the entire contiguous U.S. (CONUS) and the Gulf of Mexico, US1k has extended coverage further south than the HRRR model – igniting more value for industries like energy and shipping, along with unprecedented high-resolution hurricane tracking capabilities.
  • Frequent Updates: US1k updates hourly, powered by the latest U.S.-based observed data, radar inputs, and satellite imagery. This ensures you’re always working with the most up-to-date insights.
  • High-Resolution Downscaling: The US1k utilizes our exclusive data post-processing methods, down to 90 meters (98.4 yards), to provide unparalleled precision for every industry. This technique helps make weather data more detailed and specific. With high-resolution datasets, you get more localized, accurate, and reliable weather information tailored to your needs.
  • Comprehensive Parameter Suite: The US1k provides access to over 1,800 weather parameters, encompassing standard metrics like temperature, precipitation, and wind speed, as well as advanced data such as soil conditions, solar power output, wind speed at hub height for wind turbines, cloud properties, and countless more.

US1k in Action: Transforming Industries

Energy

Energy providers gain critical insights for managing resources during extreme weather:

  • Prepare for heatwaves or winter storms with grid demand predictions.
  • Enhance wind and solar production forecasting with high-resolution inputs.

Agriculture

Farmers can now pinpoint weather events at the field level, optimizing operations and mitigating risks. For example:

  • Protect crops from frost with precise temperature forecasts.
  • Improve irrigation timing by monitoring 15-minute rainfall predictions.


Transportation

From aviation to shipping, US1k supports safer and more efficient travel:

  • Plan air routes with real-time turbulence and icing forecasts.
  • Optimize shipping routes in the Gulf of Mexico by predicting wind conditions.

Emergency Management

Disaster preparedness and response are elevated with US1k’s hyper-local data:

  • Track hurricanes and plan evacuations with precise wind and surge predictions.
  • Anticipate wildfire spread with accurate wind speed and direction data.
Christian Schluchter - Chief Technology Officer
Christian Schluchter
Chief Technology Officer

A Breakthrough in Weather Forecasting Precision

US1k redefines precision and timeliness in weather forecasting, offering a transformative leap for the contiguous U.S. and Gulf of Mexico.

US1k vs. Traditional Weather Models

Higher Resolution

By enhancing HRRR’s 3-kilometer, ECMWF's 9-kilometer and GFS's 28-kilometer data resolutions to a precise 1-kilometer grid, we deliver highly detailed local weather forecasts, offering critical insights for informed decision-making.

More Extensive Geographical Coverage

Unlike HRRR, US1k extends coverage further south and offers more accurate insights for Gulf regions with its robust 48-hour forecast range, introducing unprecedented high resolution hurricane tracking possibilities.

More Frequent Data Assimilation

While ECMWF processes updates four times daily, US1k integrates hourly radar, weather station data, satellite observations, and aircraft data, ensuring data accuracy in rapidly changing weather conditions.

Graphical Comparison of Weather Models

Below, we compare the spatial resolution of US1k with HRRR, GFS, and ECMWF-IFS. The comparison reveals the superior resolution of US1k, showcasing the finest and most granular weather details across all parameters. It’s like zooming in with a high-powered microscope.

US1 K ECMWF GFS PRECIP LG
This MetX image shows 5-minute precipitation forecasts (precip_5min:hr) during Hurricane Helene on September 26, 2024, at 18:45 UTC. It highlights the superior precision of the US1k model (left), which, with its 1 km resolution, captures the hurricane's intricate structure, including fine-scale precipitation bands and areas of intense rainfall.
US1 K ECMWF GFS WINDSPEED
The above MetX capture shows windspeed (windspeed_10m:kn) data. The US1k's unique native resolution of 1 kilometer reveals fine-scale detail during Hurricane Helene, which landed on the Florida Panhandle in September 2024.

Available Weather Data in the American Weather Model US1k

US1k combines data from diverse sources, including aircraft, ground stations, drones, radars, and satellites, to ensure comprehensive weather coverage.

A streamlined interface delivers access to over 1,800 parameters, spanning general and industry-specific weather variables.

How Does US1k Work?

Boundary Conditions

The accuracy of a weather model depends heavily on its initial conditions, making high-quality input data essential for precise calculations.

Since US1k relies on data from beyond the United States for its boundary conditions, we use the ECMWF-IFS global model, renowned for its exceptional forecast quality. This model's native resolution typically ranges from 9 to 18 kilometers.

Key specifications of ECMWF-IFS:

  • Spatial resolution: 0.1° (approximately 9 km)
  • Temporal resolution: up to 1 hour
  • Forecast lead time: 15 days (with detailed forecasts up to 90 hours at 6 and 18 UTC)
  • Frequency of updates: 4 times per day

Downscaling and Calibration

Our model outputs are post-processed through downscaling, refining the 1 km resolution to 90 m by integrating the NASA terrain model into the calculations. This integration provides detailed data on elevation, land cover, and terrain features globally, enabling the model's algorithms to deliver even more accurate forecasts, particularly for mountainous regions and coastlines.

In the final step, we calibrate the model’s data with the most recent observational data, allowing for more frequent adjustments and providing even more refined and up-to-date forecasts.

Rapid Refreshes – Be Ahead of the Market

For energy traders, the next 24 to 48 hours are critical, making detailed weather data indispensable for intraday and day-ahead energy trading. US1k’s rapid refresh cycles and 48-hour lead time provide highly precise short-term forecasts, ensuring traders stay informed with the latest weather insights. As bidding depends on accurate projections of energy production and demand, reliable weather forecasts are key to their decision-making.

Technical Specifications

  • Computing Effort: Approximately 40,000 CPUs are needed, across 300 HPC compute nodes.
  • Data Storage Capacity: Around 20 GB per file, equating to 1.5 TB for each run (one model computation of US1k for 24 hours), which totals approximately 1000 TB per month.
  • Data Source: ECMWF, a mandatory and best practice source for global weather modeling.
  • Model Coverage in Grid Points: Approximately 4100 (north-south) x 5200 (east-west), resulting in around 21 million grid points.
  • Vertical Levels: 80 levels with intervals ranging from 10 to 100 meters.
  • Domain Coverage: The entire contiguous U.S. (CONUS) and the Gulf of Mexico.

Elevate Your Decision-Making and Gain a Competitive Edge With US1k

US1k is a premium high-resolution weather model for professional business users and organizations. It can be unlocked in the Meteomatics Weather API.

Complete the form below to talk to our team and explain your needs. We will then provide you with a bespoke quote for full access or for a trial period.

What Is the Meteomatics Weather API?

The Weather API is your doorway to the best-in-class global weather data compiling over 110 weather sources and models.

Make your business predictable by seamlessly accessing current weather data, weather forecasts, climate scenarios until 2100, historical weather data back to 1940, and industry-specific parameters and indices.

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