This study utilised the ECMWF Integrated Forecasting System over an impressively long evaluation period of more than three years to document the impact of assimilating Aeolus wind observations on predictions of wind and precipitation globally. This long-term perspective provides a level of statistical confidence often missing from shorter-term campaign evaluations. Another key aspect of this NWP-oriented study is the consideration of the improvement of precipitation forecasts in different seasons – it is largest during the cold season in the extratropics – with some explanations why effects differ across hemispheres and seasons.