NOAA AIGFS Pressure-Level Forecasts

Description

AIGFS Pressure is the upper-air dataset from NOAA/NCEP's operational Artificial Intelligence Global Forecast System. NOAA implemented AIGFS v1.0 on December 17, 2025, with AIGFS serving as the deterministic member of an operational AI global model family that also includes AIGEFS and HGEFS.

NOAA describes the AI-GFS family as GraphCast-based guidance developed by NCEP with NOAA research laboratories and the Earth Prediction Innovation Center. The system uses NOAA's operational global analysis as its real-time starting point, giving forecast teams an AI-based comparison point next to GFS, GEFS, ECMWF guidance, and other global datasets.

This pressure-level dataset is the right AIGFS choice when an application needs the structure of the atmosphere above the surface: steering flow, thermal profiles, humidity layers, mid- and upper-level waves, and vertical motion. Typical uses include synoptic analysis, trajectory screening, medium-range forecast dashboards, AI-vs-physics verification, and building weather products that consume pressure-level signals.

What is in the pressure product

The pressure-level dataset carries U/V wind, temperature, geopotential height, specific humidity, and pressure vertical velocity across 13 standard levels: 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 850, 925, and 1000 mb. It runs on a 0.25 degree global grid with 00, 06, 12, and 18 UTC cycles and 6-hour forecast steps out to 384 hours.

Detail

• Archive begins: 2026-04-16
• Public data source: NOAA EAGLE AWS Open Data bucket
• Product inventory: NCEP AIGFS products
• Operational distribution: NCEP NOMADS AIGFS
• Operational notice: NWS SCN 25-89
• Technical background: NOAA/NCEP Office Note 521
• Resolution: 0.25° global grid
• Vertical levels: 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 850, 925, and 1000 mb
• Cycles: 00, 06, 12, 18 UTC
• Forecast cadence and length: 6-hour steps to 384 hours
• Companion datasets: AIGFS Surface, AIGEFS Pressure

Parameters