US1k
High-Resolution U.S. Weather Model
US1k is Meteomatics' high-resolution regional weather model, covering the United States and extending into the Gulf of Mexico and parts of southern Canada at 1 km native resolution, updated hourly. Purpose-built for short-range forecasting, it resolves the local terrain, convection and storms that coarser models smooth over. US1k is available through the Meteomatics Weather API.
Trusted by +700 Leading Brands Worldwide
1 km
Native spatial resolution
15 min
Native temporal resolution
1 h
Model updates
What Is US1k?
US1k is a high-resolution regional weather model covering the United States, the Gulf of Mexico and parts of southern Canada. It is computed natively at 1 km, refreshed hourly, with forecasts out to 48 hours.
NCEP's HRRR, the standard US high-resolution model, runs at 3 km and stops short of the full Gulf of Mexico. US1k goes finer — 1 km native resolution — and reaches further: the US, southern Canada and the entire Gulf on one continuous grid, all through the Meteomatics Weather API.
That reach matters most for hurricanes, which form and rapidly intensify over open Gulf water before US landfall. By resolving the whole Gulf at 1 km, US1k tracks a storm's structure and intensification across its entire path — not just once it nears the coast.
And by resolving fine-scale convection, it captures the fast-developing thunderstorms, supercells and hail that coarser models smooth away.
US1k's coverage: one continuous 1 km grid spanning the United States, southern Canada and the entire Gulf of Mexico, including the open water where hurricanes form and intensify before US landfall.
Available Weather Data in US1k
US1k delivers core meteorological parameters across the United States at 15-minute steps, out to a 48-hour lead and refreshed hourly. It covers the variables that drive short-range, terrain-sensitive forecasting.
How US1k Compares to Other Weather Models
| US1k | HRRR | GFS | ECMWF-IFS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Institution | Meteomatics (CH) | NCEP (US) | NCEP (US) | ECMWF (EU) |
| Geographical coverage | Contiguous U.S., the Gulf of Mexico and parts of southern Canada | Contiguous U.S., parts of the Gulf of Mexico and southern Canada | Global | Global |
| Native spatial resolution | 1 km | 3 km | 19 km | 7.6 km |
| 90 m downscaling* | Yes (only with Meteomatics) | Yes (only with Meteomatics) | Yes (only with Meteomatics) | Yes (only with Meteomatics) |
| Native temporal resolution | 15 minutes | 15 min - 1 hour | 3 hours | Up to 1 hour |
| Update Frequency | Every 1 hour | Every 1 hour | Every 6 hours | Every 6 hours |
| Forecast Horizon | 2 days | 2 days | 16 days | 15 days |
US1k vs HRRR
US1k (left) and HRRR (right) during Tropical Storm Barry, 28–30 June 2025. US1k's broader domain spans the full Gulf of Mexico, capturing storm activity over Mexico before the system reaches Texas — providing more complete spatial context and earlier situational awareness. HRRR's domain begins further north, leaving that portion of the storm's track outside its coverage. US1k is shown at its native 1 km resolution with Meteomatics' 90 m downscaling applied: exactly how you receive it from Meteomatics. HRRR is shown at its native 3 km resolution with no downscaling: how it arrives from other providers.
Built for High-Stakes Decisions
Energy trading and renewables
Hourly updates sharpen day-ahead and intraday positions; demonstrably cutting imbalance costs.
Severe weather and operations
Resolves thunderstorms, hail and local storms early enough to drive alerting and operational thresholds.
Defense and mission planning
Consistent forecasts for planning and operations across borders and remote theatres, with on-demand Meteodrone profiling where stations and radar don't reach.
Aviation and complex terrain
Realistic forecasts over mountains and airfields where elevation changes fast.
Insurance and parametric risk
High-resolution historical and real-time data to price risk, set and validate parametric triggers, and assess exposure to storms, hail and flooding.
Frequently Asked Questions
US1k resolves weather at 1 km, versus roughly 3 km for NOAA's HRRR, 7-8 km for ECMWF-IFS, and 19 km for GFS. It's designed to augment HRRR with finer detail, broader southern coverage over the Gulf, and hourly data assimilation — capturing localized events these coarser models miss.
US1k refreshes hourly, assimilating the latest radar, weather-station, satellite, and aircraft observations each cycle. By comparison, ECMWF updates four times daily. The rapid refresh matters most for intraday and day-ahead decisions — for example, energy traders working the critical 24–48 hour window.
US1k covers the entire contiguous United States (CONUS) and the Gulf of Mexico. Its coverage extends further south than HRRR, giving Gulf-region industries — shipping, offshore energy — high-resolution data and enabling detailed hurricane tracking across a 48-hour forecast range.
US1k runs on a native 1 km horizontal grid. Meteomatics then post-processes the output down to 90 m (~98 yards) using the NASA terrain model, which adds elevation, land cover, and terrain detail. This sharpens accuracy in mountainous regions and along coastlines.
Learn more about the Meteomatics downscaling technology.
Energy (grid demand, wind and solar production forecasting) insurance, transportation and aviation (turbulence, icing, shipping-route wind conditions), and emergency management (hurricane tracking, evacuation planning, wildfire spread) all rely on US1k's hyper-local data for faster, higher-confidence decisions.
US1k is a premium model for professional and enterprise users, unlocked through the Meteomatics Weather API. There is no free tier — you contact the Meteomatics team with your requirements to receive a bespoke quote for full access or a trial period.
Its 1 km resolution resolves small-scale, high-impact phenomena — isolated thunderstorms, heavy downpours, localized flooding, hail, and potential tornado formation. Extended Gulf coverage plus a 48-hour range supports high-resolution hurricane tracking, helping organizations anticipate threats and respond before damage occurs.
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