ICON
Models & data ICON model Icosahedral Nonhydrostatic
ICON is a family of weather and climate models used by the German Weather Service and others. Global and regional versions calculate different areas and levels of detail.
What the letters mean
Icosahedral Nonhydrostatic describes two model features. Its basic grid uses triangles derived from an icosahedron. “Nonhydrostatic” means that certain vertical accelerations of air can be represented, which matters for processes such as strong updraughts.
A family with different jobs
- Global ICON: covers the whole Earth and large-scale development.
- ICON-EU: refines calculations over Europe.
- ICON-D2: uses a finer grid over central Europe and represents smaller weather structures in greater detail.
More detail does not guarantee the right doorstep
A fine grid represents terrain and cloud development better than a very coarse one. Smaller processes are still simplified, and starting data are imperfect. A storm can develop in the right region yet cross the wrong district.
What our website shows
The pro-data pages use ICON alongside other models. Interpretation depends on the particular version and run. Model comparisons and current observations help assess uncertainty; official warnings remain a separate expert assessment.