Every forecast map you look at, including the ones on ngmeteo.com, is the output of a numerical weather prediction (NWP) model. These are not guesses based on past patterns; they are physics equations describing how air moves, heats, cools and holds moisture, solved on a three-dimensional grid that covers the whole planet from the surface up into the stratosphere. The model takes a snapshot of today's atmosphere and steps it forward in time, hour by hour, recalculating temperature, pressure, wind and humidity at every grid point. Several national weather agencies run their own version of this calculation, which is why you see different model names everywhere and why their forecasts can disagree, especially further into the future.
The four models you will see most often
ECMWF (often called the IFS model) is run by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. It uses a fine global grid of roughly 9 km, is widely regarded as the most accurate medium-range model in the world, and produces a full 10-day forecast twice a day, from the 00z and 12z runs. GFS, the Global Forecast System, is the United States' equivalent, run by NOAA. Its data is public and free, its resolution is somewhat coarser, and it updates four times a day while reaching out to 16 days, although skill beyond about 8-10 days is limited for any model. ICON-EU is the regional model from Germany's DWD, focused specifically on Europe at about 6.5 km resolution, which makes it sharper for short-range detail like local showers and coastal effects. AIFS is ECMWF's newer artificial-intelligence-based model: instead of solving the full physical equations, it was trained on decades of historical weather data and learned the statistical relationships between atmospheric states. It runs far faster on far less computing power, and its medium-range accuracy is now competitive with traditional physics-based models for several variables.
How to read the maps
Start by picking a variable: sea-level pressure, 850 hPa temperature, 2-metre temperature, precipitation, wind, or UV index. Pressure maps show curved isobars, lines connecting points of equal pressure; tightly packed isobars mean strong wind, while widely spaced ones mean calm conditions. Colour shading translates the chosen variable into an intensity scale, with the legend bar telling you what each colour is worth. Always check two details before trusting a map: the model run (00z or 12z, in UTC) and the forecast lead time, since confidence naturally drops the further out you look. The 850 hPa temperature is especially useful because it describes the character of the air mass itself, largely unaffected by the daily heating and cooling of the ground, so it is a reliable way to track whether genuinely warm or cold air is moving in. When two or three models agree closely on the same day, treat the forecast with more confidence; when they diverge, it is a sign of real uncertainty, and a good moment to switch to the ensemble forecasts on ngmeteo.com to see the full range of possible outcomes rather than a single line.