ECMWF upgrades its forecasting system on a regular basis, and one such upgrade is currently planned for 30 June 2020. These upgrades enable the Centre to integrate the latest scientific advances into its Integrated Forecasting System (IFS).
Ahead of the implementation of IFS Cycle 47r1, Director of Research Andy Brown will explain the changes and how they will improve forecasts in a webinar on 21 April, repeated on 22 April.
The upgrade brings improvements in data assimilation, including developments to the weak-constraint 4D-Var and improvements to the initial balance of the analysis. In the model, more accurate vertical interpolation in the advection scheme significantly improves stratospheric performance in a cost-effective manner, and changes to surface drag over the ocean at high wind speeds improve the wind–intensity relationship for tropical cyclones. These and other developments will be described.
Further webinars are planned for 27 May at 8:30 UTC and 28 May at 14:30 UTC with a focus on verification, technical access to the test data, and new parameters and products.
Webinar recording and slides
Update on 28 April 2020: The webinar slides are now available: 
Cycle 47r1 overview
A recording of the 22 April webinar is provided below.
A list of what is different in IFS Cycle 47r1 is provided on the implementation page for forecast users, where regular updates on this upgrade will be posted.