# Time reference from ERA5 reanalysis **URL:** \ **Category:** C3S - Datasets and Usage\ **Tags:** c3s, era5\ **Created:** [8 August 2019 18:30 UTC](https://forum.ecmwf.int/t/time-reference-from-era5-reanalysis/1194 "2019-08-08T18:30:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tales\_Rozenfeld](https://forum.ecmwf.int/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@Tales\_Rozenfeld](https://forum.ecmwf.int/u/Tales_Rozenfeld)\ **Post date:** [8 August 2019 18:30 UTC](https://forum.ecmwf.int/t/time-reference-from-era5-reanalysis/1194/1 "2019-08-08T18:30:22Z")
Hi all, I only starting to use ERA5 data and I have a simple question regarding the time zone of the data. I am downloading hourly data on a single level of temperature. I am interested in information from Brazil (UTC-3). To investigate hourly temperature along a single day, say 2012-09-31, how should I search in ERA5? Should I look for the exact date and time I want, and the application adjusts the time of each point in the grid for the time I asked, or it gives information for every point referenced to the UTC? In other words, if I download global data for 07:00 of the day 2012-09-31, will I have: (i) a morning temperature for a grid point in Brazil and also for a grid point in Beijing, or (ii) a nighttime temperature for Brazil (07:00-3) and an afternoon temperature for Beijing (07:00+8)? ---
**Author:** ![Halldor\_Bjornsson](https://forum.ecmwf.int/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@Halldor\_Bjornsson](https://forum.ecmwf.int/u/Halldor_Bjornsson)\ **Post date:** [9 August 2019 10:26 UTC](https://forum.ecmwf.int/t/time-reference-from-era5-reanalysis/1194/2 "2019-08-09T10:26:03Z")
All times are UTC based. So a 12UTC is then 12-3 in Brazil. Local time conventions (daylight savings etc) are usually handled in analysis software packages. Both python and R have tools for that. ---
**Author:** ![Brian\_Yalle](https://forum.ecmwf.int/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/8dc957/32.png) [@Brian\_Yalle](https://forum.ecmwf.int/u/Brian_Yalle)\ **Post date:** [21 January 2020 21:06 UTC](https://forum.ecmwf.int/t/time-reference-from-era5-reanalysis/1194/3 "2020-01-21T21:06:04Z")
Hi! After spend hours surfing the Internet (forums) looking for some Python code to convert UTC time to local time (e.g. Lima, Peru), I was wondering if someone knows how to do it. I'm working with ERA 5 land hourly data downloaded in netCDF format. Any help will be appreciated! ---
**Author:** ![pedro\_alencar](https://forum.ecmwf.int/user_avatar/forum.ecmwf.int/pedro_alencar/32/80_2.png) [@pedro\_alencar](https://forum.ecmwf.int/u/pedro_alencar)\ **Post date:** [26 November 2020 10:44 UTC](https://forum.ecmwf.int/t/time-reference-from-era5-reanalysis/1194/4 "2020-11-26T10:44:00Z")
Hi, I am working with era5 hourly data in Brazil and couldn't understand one thing. I downloaded precipitation and temperature data from 1979 to 2019; Precipitation data (also evaporation, potential evaporation, i.e. forecast variables) starts on "1979-01-01 07:00:00", temperature data (also soil water content, i.e., analysis variables with instantaneous values) starts on "1979-01-01 00:00:00". Why the first starts on 7h? I would expect 3h, since this is the difference (Longitude = -40). Is the second local time? All the best ---
**Author:** ![Michela](https://forum.ecmwf.int/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/898d66/32.png) [@Michela](https://forum.ecmwf.int/u/Michela)\ **Post date:** [26 November 2020 11:10 UTC](https://forum.ecmwf.int/t/time-reference-from-era5-reanalysis/1194/5 "2020-11-26T11:10:29Z")
Hi, for accumulated variables, the values for 0000-0600 come from the forecast run on the previous day, so these timesteps are missing for 1/1/1979. Thanks Michela ---
**Author:** ![pedro\_alencar](https://forum.ecmwf.int/user_avatar/forum.ecmwf.int/pedro_alencar/32/80_2.png) [@pedro\_alencar](https://forum.ecmwf.int/u/pedro_alencar)\ **Post date:** [26 November 2020 11:12 UTC](https://forum.ecmwf.int/t/time-reference-from-era5-reanalysis/1194/6 "2020-11-26T11:12:40Z")
That makes sense! Thank you a lot Michela! Cheers, Pedro