NCEP GDAS/FNL 0.25 Degree Global Tropospheric Analyses and Forecast Grids

These NCEP FNL (Final) operational global analysis and forecast data are on 0.25-degree by 0.25-degree grids prepared operationally every six hours. This product is from the Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS), which continuously collects observational data from the Global Telecommunications System (GTS), and other sources, for many analyses. The FNLs are made with the same model which NCEP uses in the Global Forecast System (GFS), but the FNLs are prepared about an hour or so after the GFS is initialized. The FNLs are delayed so that more observational data can be used. The GFS is run earlier in support of time critical forecast needs, and uses the FNL from the previous 6 hour cycle as part of its initialization. The analyses are available on the surface, at 26 mandatory (and other pressure) levels from 1000 millibars to 10 millibars, in the surface boundary layer and at some sigma layers, the tropopause and a few others. Parameters include surface pressure, sea level pressure, geopotential height, temperature, sea surface temperature, soil values, ice cover, relative humidity, u- and v- winds, vertical motion, vorticity and ozone. The archive time series is continuously extended to a near-current date. It is not maintained in real-time.

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  • datahelp@ucar.edu

Temporal Range

  • Begin:  2015-07-08T0000+00
    End:  2025-10-29T1500+00

Keywords

Resource Type dataset
Temporal Range Begin 2015-07-08T0000+00
Temporal Range End 2025-10-29T1500+00
Temporal Resolution N/A
Bounding Box North Lat 90.0
Bounding Box South Lat -90.0
Bounding Box West Long -180.0
Bounding Box East Long 180.0
Spatial Representation grid
Spatial Resolution 0.25 degree
Related Links

Related Resource #1 : NMC EMC Model Documentation

Related Resource #2 : NCEP Global Parallel System Documentation

Related Resource #3 : MRF/AVN/GDAS CHANGES SINCE 1991

Related Resource #4 : NCAR Command Language GRIB to NetCDF file structure description

Related Resource #5 : Ask NCEP science questions about the FNL dataset through this link

Related Resource #6 : NCEP Grid-Point Statistical Interpolation (GSI) homepage

Related Resource #7 : NCEP GDAS 'real-time' operational data access

Related Resource #8 : NOAA GFS data from 2022 to the present on Amazon Web Services
Additional Information N/A
Resource Format WMO GRIB2
Standardized Resource Format GRIB
Asset Size 21631966.439 MB
Legal Constraints

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Access Constraints None
Software Implementation Language N/A

Resource Support Name N/A
Resource Support Email datahelp@ucar.edu
Resource Support Organization N/A
Distributor NSF NCAR Geoscience Data Exchange
Metadata Contact Name N/A
Metadata Contact Email datahelp@ucar.edu
Metadata Contact Organization NSF NCAR Geoscience Data Exchange

Author National Centers for Environmental Prediction, National Weather Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
Publisher NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research
Publication Date 2015-07-23
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) https://doi.org/10.5065/D65Q4T4Z
Alternate Identifier d083003
Resource Version N/A
Topic Category climatologyMeteorologyAtmosphere
Progress onGoing
Metadata Date 2025-10-30T10:05:02Z
Metadata Record Identifier edu.ucar.gdex::d083003
Metadata Language eng; USA
Suggested Citation National Centers for Environmental Prediction, National Weather Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce. (2015). NCEP GDAS/FNL 0.25 Degree Global Tropospheric Analyses and Forecast Grids. NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research. https://doi.org/10.5065/D65Q4T4Z. Accessed 31 October 2025.

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