We are pleased to confirm that good progress is being made with the forthcoming implementation of IFS Cycle 50r1 in operations, and it has now entered the Release Candidate test phase (RCP).
Forecast production using the new model is running in parallel with the operational production, and the test data is available for dissemination in near real-time.
The first test data was available in the dissemination system last night, when we disseminated the run of 18 February 2026 at 12Z.
While the new cycle will bring improved forecast performance, it will also include several technical changes requiring adjustments by mainly users of the medium range forecasts.
Upcoming webinars
We want to remind you that we have scheduled two webinars to help the users with any challenges this upgrade might pose and to clarify any questions.
All ECMWF data and forecast users are invited to join us for the webinars:
-
IFS Cycle 50r1 and AIFS v2 - Verification, new products and technical aspects, on 26 February 2026, 10:00-11:00 UTC: register here.
-
IFS Cycle 50r1 and AIFS v2 - Data access and format, testing and practicalities, on 12 March 2026, 10:00-11:00 UTC: register here.
These will be joint webinars where we will present the upgrades of both IFS and AIFS forecasting systems.
As part of this coordinated model upgrade, we will implement IFS Cycle 50r1 for Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) too, therefore, we will present updates regarding this model in the webinars as well.
A recording of both webinars will be made available on the event pages, as well as on ECMWF YouTube channel.
Further information
Full technical details about the new cycle, its meteorological content and other changes are available at: Implementation of IFS Cycle 50r1 page.
Note that products provided during the release candidate phase should not be redistributed, used in operations (including commercially) or published on social media platforms.
The implementation of IFS Cycle 50r1 is planned for late April 2025 and we will update you with a more precise date as soon as possible.
The upgrade of our Artificial Intelligence Forecasting System (AIFS) to version v2 will be implemented at the same time as the IFS Cycle 50r1 and its RCP will start in a couple of weeks.