Gridded ERA5 Observations
Variables returned by the gridded historical observations endpoints, sourced from ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis (and GFS where indicated).
Endpoints
Variables
A check mark in the Default column indicates the field is returned without an explicit variables parameter.
| API Variable | Standard Name | Default | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
id | Grid Cell ID | ✓ | Unique ID for the grid cell. |
longitude | Longitude | ✓ | Longitude of the center of the grid cell, degrees. |
latitude | Latitude | ✓ | Latitude of the center of the grid cell, degrees. |
resolution | Resolution (km) | ✓ | Resolution of the grid cell, kilometers (km). |
elevation | Elevation (feet or meters) | ✓ | Elevation of the center of the grid cell, feet (ft) or meters (m). |
vegetationTypeHigh | Type of High Vegetation | ✓ | Integer code describing the 6 types of high vegetation recognized by the ECMWF Integrated Forecasting System: 3 = Evergreen needleleaf trees, 4 = Deciduous needleleaf trees, 5 = Deciduous broadleaf trees, 6 = Evergreen broadleaf trees, 18 = Mixed forest/woodland, 19 = Interrupted forest |
vegetationTypeLow | Type of Low Vegetation | ✓ | Integer code describing the 10 types of high vegetation recognized by the ECMWF Integrated Forecasting System: 1 = Crops, Mixed farming, 2 = Grass, 7 = Tall grass, 9 = Tundra, 10 = Irrigated crops, 11 = Semidesert, 13 = Bogs and marshes, 16 = Evergreen shrubs, 17 = Deciduous shrubs, 20 = Water and land mixtures |
soilType | Soil Type | ✓ | Integer code describing the 7 types soil types, based on the texture (or classification) of soil used by the land surface scheme of the ECMWF Integrated Forecast System to predict the water holding capacity of soil in soil moisture and runoff calculations: 1 = Coarse, 2 = Medium, 3 = Medium fine, 4 = Fine, 5 = Very fine, 6 = Organic, 7 = Tropical organic. |
landSeaMask | Land-Sea Mask | ✓ | Proportion of land, as opposed to ocean or inland waters (lakes, reservoirs, rivers and coastal waters), in a grid cell. Values range between zero and one, dimensionless. |
dateHrGmt | Date and Hour (GMT) | ✓ | Date and hour in Greenwich Mountain Time (GMT). |
dateHrLwt | Date and Hour (LWT) | ✓ | Date and hour in Local Wall Time (LWT). |
surfaceTemperature | Surface Temperature (°F or °C) | ✓ | A measure of atmospheric sensible heat content at 2 meters. Instantaneous reading at time shown, Fahrenheit (°F) or Celsius (°C). |
minInstantaneousSurfaceTemperature | Minimum Instantaneous Surface Temperature (°F or °C) | A measure of atmospheric sensible heat content at 2 meters. Minimum reading in hour previous to time shown, Fahrenheit (°F) or Celsius (°C). | |
maxInstantaneousSurfaceTemperature | Maximum Instantaneous Surface Temperature (°F or °C) | A measure of atmospheric sensible heat content at 2 meters. Maximum reading in hour previous to time shown, Fahrenheit (°F) or Celsius (°C). | |
surfaceDewpointTemperature | Surface Dew Point Temperature (°F or °C) | ✓ | Atmospheric humidity metric (temperature at which dew will form) at 2 meters. Instantaneous reading at time shown, Fahrenheit (°F) or Celsius (°C). |
apparentTemperature | Apparent Temperature (°F or °C) | ✓ | Air temperature that includes impact of wind and humidity at 10 meters. Instantaneous reading at time shown, Fahrenheit (°F) or Celsius (°C). |
windChillTemperature | Wind Chill Temperature (°F or °C) | ✓ | Air temperature that includes impact of wind at 10 meters. Instantaneous reading at time shown, Fahrenheit (°F) or Celsius (°C). |
heatIndex | Heat Index (°F or °C) | ✓ | Air temperature that includes impact of relative humidity at 2 meters. Instantaneous reading at time shown, Fahrenheit (°F) or Celsius (°C). |
surfaceWetBulbTemperature | Surface Wet-bulb Temperature (°F or °C) | ✓ | Atmospheric humidity metric (evaporative cooling potential of moist surface) at 2 meters. Instantaneous reading at time shown, Fahrenheit (°F) or Celsius (°C). |
relativeHumidity | Surface Relative Humidity (%) | ✓ | Percent of water vapor in the air relative to its saturation point at 2 meters. Instantaneous reading at time shown, percentage (%). |
specificHumidityRatio | Specific Humidity | Ratio between the mass of water vapor in kilograms against the mass of air in kilograms within a unit volume of air at 2 meters, dimensionless. | |
surfaceWaterMixing | Surface Water Mixing (Gkg) | Ratio between the mass of water vapor in grams against the mass of dry air in kilograms within a unit volume of air at 2 meters, grams per kilogram (gkg). | |
surfaceAirDensity | Surface Air Density (Kgcbm) | Mass of air per unit volume at 2 meters, kilograms per cubic meter (kgpm^3). | |
mslPressure | Mean Sea Level Pressure (mb or kPa) | ✓ | Surface pressure adjusted to mean sea-level, millibars (mb) or kiloPascals (kPa). |
surfaceAirPressure | Surface Pressure (mb or kPa) | ✓ | Atmospheric pressure at the surface. Instantaneous reading at time shown, millibars (mb) or kiloPascals (kPa). |
skinTemperatureSST | Skin Temperature SST (°F or °C) | Over land a measure of the temperature of the land surface, over sea a measure of the sea surface temperature. Instantaneous reading at time shown, Fahrenheit (°F) or Celsius (°C). | |
windDirection | Surface Wind Direction (degrees) | ✓ | Upwind direction (e.g., wind from east = 90, from south = 180, etc.) at 10 meters. Two-minute average up-wind direction at time shown, degrees. |
windUComponent | Surface U Wind Component (mph, kts, kph, or mps) | U wind component at 10 meters for the time shown; miles per hour (mph), knots (kts), kilometers per hour (kph), or meters per second (mps). | |
windVComponent | Surface V Wind Component (mph, kts, kph, or mps) | V wind component at 10 meters for the time shown; miles per hour (mph), knots (kts), kilometers per hour (kph), or meters per second (mps). | |
windSpeed | Surface Wind Speed (mph, kts, kph, or mps) | ✓ | Instantaneous wind speed at 10 meters for the time shown; miles per hour (mph), knots (kts), kilometers per hour (kph), or meters per second (mps). |
surfaceWindGusts | Surface Wind Gust (mph, kts, kph, or mps) | ✓ | Maximum three second wind speed burst at 10 meters during previous hour. Instantaneous reading at time shown; miles per hour (mph), knots (kts), kilometers per hour (kph), or meters per second (mps). |
windUComponent80meter | 80 meter U Wind Component (mph, kts, kph, or mps) | U wind component at 80 meters for the time shown; miles per hour (mph), knots (kts), kilometers per hour (kph), or meters per second (mps). | |
windVComponent80meter | 80 meter V Wind Component (mph, kts, kph, or mps) | V wind component at 80 meters for the time shown; miles per hour (mph), knots (kts), kilometers per hour (kph), or meters per second (mps). | |
windDirection80meter | Wind Direction 80 meter (degrees) | Upwind direction (e.g., wind from east = 90, from south = 180, etc.) at 80 meters. Two-minute average up-wind direction at time shown, degrees. | |
windSpeed80meter | Wind Speed 80 meter (mph, kts, kph, or mps) | Instantaneous wind speed at 80 meters for the time shown; miles per hour (mph), knots (kts), kilometers per hour (kph), or meters per second (mps). | |
temperature80meter | Temperature 80 meter (°F or °C) | A measure of atmospheric sensible heat content at 80 meters. Instantaneous reading at time shown, Fahrenheit (°F) or Celsius (°C). | |
dewpointTemperature80meter | Dewpoint Temperature 80 meter (°F or °C) | Atmospheric humidity metric (temperature at which dew will form) at 80 meters. Instantaneous reading at time shown, Fahrenheit (°F) or Celsius (°C). | |
relativeHumidity80meter | Relative Humidity 80 meter (%) | Percent of water vapor in the air relative to its saturation point at 80 meters. Instantaneous reading at time shown, percentage (%). | |
specificHumidity80meterRatio | Specific Humidity 80 meter | Ratio between the mass of water vapor in kilograms against the mass of air in kilograms within a unit volume of air at 80m, dimensionless. | |
waterMixing80meter | Water Mixing 80 meter (Gkg) | Ratio between the mass of water vapor in grams against the mass of dry air in kilograms within a unit volume of air at 80m, grams per kilogram (gkg). | |
airDensity80meter | Air Density 80 meter (Kgcbm) | Mass of air per unit volume at 80 meters, kilograms per cubic meter (kgpm^3). | |
windDirection100meter | Wind Direction 100 meter (degrees) | Upwind direction (e.g., wind from east = 90, from south = 180, etc.) at 100 meters. Two-minute average up-wind direction at time shown, degrees. | |
windUComponent100meter | 100 meter U Wind Component (mph, kts, kph, or mps) | U wind component at 100 meters for the time shown; miles per hour (mph), knots (kts), kilometers per hour (kph), or meters per second (mps). | |
windVComponent100meter | 100 meter V Wind Component (mph, kts, kph, or mps) | V wind component at 100 meters for the time shown; miles per hour (mph), knots (kts), kilometers per hour (kph), or meters per second (mps). | |
windSpeed100meter | Wind Speed 100 meter (mph, kts, kph, or mps) | Instantaneous wind speed at 100 meters for the time shown; miles per hour (mph), knots (kts), kilometers per hour (kph), or meters per second (mps). | |
temperature100meter | Temperature 100 meter (°F or °C) | A measure of atmospheric sensible heat content at 100 meters. Instantaneous reading at time shown, Fahrenheit (°F) or Celsius (°C). | |
dewpointTemperature100meter | Dewpoint Temperature 100 meter (°F or °C) | Atmospheric humidity metric (temperature at which dew will form) at 100 meters. Instantaneous reading at time shown, Fahrenheit (°F) or Celsius (°C). | |
relativeHumidity100meter | Relative Humidity 100 meter (%) | Percent of water vapor in the air relative to its saturation point at 100 meters. Instantaneous reading at time shown, percentage (%). | |
specificHumidity100meterRatio | Specific Humidity 100 meter | Ratio between the mass of water vapor in kilograms against the mass of air in kilograms within a unit volume of air at 100m, dimensionless. | |
waterMixing100meter | Water Mixing 100 meter (Gkg) | Ratio between the mass of water vapor in grams against the mass of dry air in kilograms within a unit volume of air at 100m, grams per kilogram (gkg). | |
airDensity100meter | Air Density 100 meter (Kgcbm) | Mass of air per unit volume at 100 meters, Kilograms per Cubic Meter (kgpm^3). | |
precipitationPreviousHour | Precipitation (in or mm) | ✓ | Liquid equivalent for types: warm rain, freezing rain, sleet, snow. Total accumulated previous hour, inches (in) or millimeters (mm). |
precipitationType | Precipitation Type | Integer code describing precipitation type - 0 none, 1 rain, 2 snow, 4 freezing rain, 8 ice pellets. If more than one type then integers are added e.g. 3 rain & snow. | |
rainPreviousHour | Rain Previous Hour (in or mm) | Total accumulated rain in the previous hour, inches (in) or millimeters (mm). | |
icePelletPreviousHour | Ice Pellet Previous Hour (in or mm) | Total accumulated ice pellets in the previous hour, inches (in) or millimeters (mm). | |
freezingRainPreviousHour | Freezing Rain Previous Hour (in or mm) | Total accumulated freezing rain in the previous hour, inches (in) or millimeters (mm). | |
snowPreviousHour | Snow Previous Hour (in or cm) | ✓ | A measurement of the depth of snow on the ground since the previous observation, inches (in) or centimeters (cm). |
downwardSolarRadiation | Downward Solar Radiation (Wsqm) | ✓ | Total solar radiation reaching the surface of the earth, Watts per square meter (Wpm^2). |
directNormalIrradiance | Direct Normal Irradiance (Wsqm) | ✓ | Solar radiation reaching the surface of the earth along a direct path, Watts per square meter (Wpm^2). |
diffuseHorizontalRadiation | Diffuse Horizontal Radiation (Wsqm) | ✓ | Solar radiation reaching the surface of the earth along a indirect path, Watts per square meter (Wpm^2). |
downwardThermalRadiation | Downward Thermal Radiation (Wsqm) | Thermal radiation reaching the surface of the earth from all directions, Watts per square meter (Wpm^2). | |
netSolarRadiation | Net Solar Radiation (Wsqm) | Solar radiation reaching the surface of the Earth minus the amount reflected by the Earth's surface, Watts per square meter (Wpm^2). | |
netThermalRadiation | Net Thermal Radation (Wsqm) | Thermal radiation reaching the surface of the Earth minus the amount moving upwards from the surface, Watts per square meter (Wpm^2). | |
sensibleHeatFlux | Sensible Heat Flux (Wsqm) | The transfer of heat between the Earth's surface and atmosphere, excluding water phase changes, Watts per square meter (Wpm^2). | |
latentHeatFlux | Latent Heat Flux (Wsqm) | The transfer of heat between the Earth's surface and atmosphere due to water phase changes, Watts per square meter (Wpm^2). | |
groundHeatFlux | Ground Heat Flux (Wsqm) | Heat conducted through the surface of the Earth, Watts per square meter (Wpm^2). | |
soilMoisture0to289cm | Soil Moisture 0-289cm (%) | Ratio between the volume water in meters cubed against the total volume in meters cubed between a depth of 2.89m and the surface of the Earth, dimensionless. | |
soilTemperature0to289cm | Soil Temperature 0-289cm (°F or °C) | A measure of mean soil sensible heat content between a depth of 2.89m and the surface of the Earth. Instantaneous reading at time shown, Fahrenheit (°F) or Celsius (°C). | |
soilMoisture0to7cm | Soil Moisture 0-7cm (%) | Ratio between the volume water in meters cubed against the total volume in meters cubed between a depth of 7cm and the surface of the Earth, dimensionless. | |
soilTemperature0to7cm | Soil Temperature 0-7cm (°F or °C) | A measure of mean soil sensible heat content between a depth of 7cm and the surface of the Earth. Instantaneous reading at time shown, Fahrenheit (°F) or Celsius (°C). | |
soilMoisture7to28cm | Soil Moisture 7-28cm (%) | Ratio between the volume water in meters cubed against the total volume in meters cubed between a depth of 28cm and 7cm below the surface of the Earth, dimensionless. | |
soilTemperature7to28cm | Soil Temperature 7-28cm (°F or °C) | A measure of mean soil sensible heat content between depths of 28cm and 7cm below the surface of the Earth. Instantaneous reading at time shown, Fahrenheit (°F) or Celsius (°C). | |
soilMoisture28to100cm | Soil Moisture 28-100cm (%) | Ratio between the volume water in meters cubed against the total volume in meters cubed between a depth of 1m and 28cm below the surface of the Earth, dimensionless. | |
soilTemperature28to100cm | Soil Temperature 28-100cm (°F or °C) | A measure of mean soil sensible heat content between depths of 1m and 28cm below the surface of the Earth. Instantaneous reading at time shown, Fahrenheit (°F) or Celsius (°C). | |
soilMoisture100to289cm | Soil Moisture 100-289cm (%) | Ratio between the volume water in meters cubed against the total volume in meters cubed between a depth of 2.89cm and 1m below the surface of the Earth, dimensionless. | |
soilTemperature100to289cm | Soil Temperature 100-289cm (°F or °C) | A measure of mean soil sensible heat content between depths of 2.89m and 1m below the surface of the Earth. Instantaneous reading at time shown, Fahrenheit (°F) or Celsius (°C). | |
leafAreaIndexHigh | Leaf Area Index High | The fraction of the cell that is covered with 'hi' vegetation (0-1). | |
leafAreaIndexLow | Leaf Area Index Low | The fraction of the cell that is covered with 'low' vegetation (0-1). | |
surfaceRunoff | Surface Runoff (Kgsqm) | A measure of the liquid draining over the surface, kilograms per square meter (kgpm^2). | |
potentialEvaporation | Potential Evaporation (Kgsqm) | Maximum possible evaporation given surface conditions, kilograms per square meter (kgm^2). | |
meanEvaporation | Mean Evaporation (Kgsqm) | A measure of the mean evaporation across the cell, including transpiration, kilograms per square meter (kgpm^2). | |
cloudCoverage | Cloud Coverage (%) | ✓ | Total cloud cover all layers through vertical atmospheric column. Instantaneous reading at time shown, percentage (%). |
totalCloudCoverLow | Total Cloud Cover Low (%) | Total cloud cover up to 6,000 feet. Instantaneous reading at time shown, percentage (%). | |
totalCloudCoverMiddle | Total Cloud Cover Middle (%) | Total cloud cover between 6,000 feet and 20,000 feet. Instantaneous reading at time shown, percentage (%). | |
totalCloudCoverHigh | Total Cloud Cover High (%) | Total cloud above 20,000 feet. Instantaneous reading at time shown, percentage (%). | |
visibility | Visibilitity (mi or km) | The greatest distance at which it is just possible to see and identify with the naked eye at the surface, miles (mi) or kilometers (km). | |
frictionVelocitySurface | Frictional Velocity (Mps) | Magnitude of stress at the surface, expressed as a velocity, meters per second (mps). | |
pressure80meter | Pressure 80 meter (mb or kPa) | Atmospheric pressure at 80m. Instantaneous reading at time shown, millibars (mb) or kilopascals (kPa). | |
pressure100meter | Pressure 100 meter (mb or kPa) | Atmospheric pressure at 100m. Instantaneous reading at time shown, millibars (mb) or kilopascals (kPa). | |
horizontalDirectNormalIrradianceSurface | Horizontal Direct Normal Irradiance Surface (Wsqm) | The horizontal component of the solar radiation reaching the surface along a direct path, Watts per square meter (Wpm^2). | |
convectiveAvailablePotentialEnergy | Convective Available Potential Energy (JoulesPerKilogram) | Convective available potential energy, a measure of the total excess buoyancy of air parcels within a column, Joules per kilogram (Jpkg). | |
convectiveInhibition | Convective Inhibition (JoulesPerKilogram) | Convective inhibition, a measure of the energy required for convection to commence, Joules per kilogram (Jpkg). | |
lightningFlashRate | Lightning Flash Rate (Sqkmh) | Total area of lightning flash per hour, square kilometers per hour (km^2ph). | |
planetaryBoundaryLayerHeight | Planetary Boundary Later Height (feet or meters) | A measure of the depth of air next to the Earth's surface which is most affected by resistence of the transfer of heat, moisture, or momentum; feet (ft) or meters (m). | |
albedo | Albedo (%) | Percentage of solar radiation reflected by the Earth's surface (%). | |
surfaceRoughness | Surface Roughness (feet or meters) | A measure of surface roughness in meters (m). | |
surfaceGeopotentialHeight | Surface Geopotential Height (feet or meters) | A measure of work needed to lift a unit mass from sea level to the surface divided by the gravitational acceleration, feet (ft) or meters (m). | |
seaIceThickness | Sea Ice Thickness (feet or meters) | Thickness of sea ice, feet (ft) or meters (m). | |
seaIceCoverage | Sea Ice Coverage (%) | Percentage of cell covered by ice (%). | |
cloudBaseHeight | Cloud Base Height (feet or meters) | Height of the base of the lowest cloud, feet (ft) or meters (m). | |
zeroDegreesHeight | Zero Degrees Height (feet or meters) | The height above the surface of the Earth where the temperature is zero Celsius, feet (ft) or meters (m). | |
totalColumnWaterVapor | Total Column Water Vapor (Kgsqm) | The total amount of water vapor within an atmospheric column, kilograms per square meter (kgpm^2). | |
totalColumnLiquidCloud | Total Column Liquid Cloud (Kgsqm) | The total amount of liquid water within an atmospheric column, kilograms per square meter (kgpm^2). | |
totalColumnSuperCoolLiquidCloud | Total Column Super Cool Liquid Cloud (Kgsqm) | The total amount of liquid water below zero Celsius within an atmospheric column, kilograms per square meter (kgpm^2). | |
totalOzone | Total Ozone (Du or Kgsqm) | The total amount of ozone in an atmospheric column, Dobson units (Du) or kilograms per square meter (kgpm^2). | |
snowDepth | Snow Depth (feet or meters) | The depth of snow on the ground, feet (ft) or meters (m). | |
snowMeltPreviousHour | Snow Melt Previous Hour (inches or meters) | A measure of the snow on the ground which has melted in the last hour, inches (in) or meters (m). | |
dataSource | Data Source (ERA5 or GFS) | ✓ | Indicates if the source data is from ERA5 or GFS. |