This parameter is the northward component of the 10m wind. It is the horizontal speed of air moving towards the north, at a height of ten metres above the surface of the Earth, in metres per second. Care should be taken when comparing this parameter with observations, because wind observations vary on small space and time scales and are affected by the local terrain, vegetation and buildings that are represented only on average in the ECMWF Integrated Forecasting System (IFS). This parameter can be combined with the U component of 10m wind to give the speed and direction of the horizontal 10m wind.
