diff --git a/lib/microwaveprop/propagation/grid.ex b/lib/microwaveprop/propagation/grid.ex
index 45539075..e6c7adb1 100644
--- a/lib/microwaveprop/propagation/grid.ex
+++ b/lib/microwaveprop/propagation/grid.ex
@@ -21,6 +21,21 @@ defmodule Microwaveprop.Propagation.Grid do
   @doc "Returns the CONUS bounding box as a map."
   def bounds, do: %{lat_min: @lat_min, lat_max: @lat_max, lon_min: @lon_min, lon_max: @lon_max}
 
+  @doc "Returns the grid specification for wgrib2 -lola extraction."
+  def wgrib2_grid_spec do
+    lon_count = round((@lon_max - @lon_min) / @step) + 1
+    lat_count = round((@lat_max - @lat_min) / @step) + 1
+
+    %{
+      lon_start: @lon_min,
+      lon_count: lon_count,
+      lon_step: @step,
+      lat_start: @lat_min,
+      lat_count: lat_count,
+      lat_step: @step
+    }
+  end
+
   defp float_range(start, stop, step) do
     count = round((stop - start) / step) + 1
     Enum.map(0..(count - 1), fn i -> start + i * step end)
diff --git a/lib/microwaveprop/weather/grib2/extractor.ex b/lib/microwaveprop/weather/grib2/extractor.ex
index 6cdefe86..b0a9b3e8 100644
--- a/lib/microwaveprop/weather/grib2/extractor.ex
+++ b/lib/microwaveprop/weather/grib2/extractor.ex
@@ -36,29 +36,46 @@ defmodule Microwaveprop.Weather.Grib2.Extractor do
   def extract_grid(binary, points) do
     messages = split_messages(binary)
 
-    result =
-      Enum.reduce(messages, {:ok, init_grid(points)}, fn msg, {:ok, acc} ->
-        case extract_single_grid(msg, points) do
-          {:ok, point_values} ->
-            merged =
-              Enum.reduce(point_values, acc, fn {point, key, value}, grid ->
-                Map.update!(grid, point, &Map.put(&1, key, value))
-              end)
+    # Pre-compute grid indices once from the first message's grid params.
+    # All messages in the same GRIB2 file share the same grid.
+    grid_indices =
+      case messages do
+        [first_msg | _] ->
+          case Section.parse_message(first_msg) do
+            {:ok, %{grid_params: grid}} -> precompute_indices(grid, points)
+            _ -> []
+          end
 
-            {:ok, merged}
+        [] ->
+          []
+      end
 
-          {:error, _reason} ->
-            # Skip messages with missing/corrupt data sections
-            {:ok, acc}
-        end
-      end)
+    if grid_indices == [] do
+      {:ok, %{}}
+    else
+      result =
+        Enum.reduce(messages, {:ok, init_grid(points)}, fn msg, {:ok, acc} ->
+          case extract_grid_with_indices(msg, grid_indices) do
+            {:ok, key, values} ->
+              merged =
+                Enum.reduce(values, acc, fn {point, value}, grid ->
+                  Map.update!(grid, point, &Map.put(&1, key, value))
+                end)
 
-    case result do
-      {:ok, grid} ->
-        {:ok, Map.reject(grid, fn {_point, values} -> values == %{} end)}
+              {:ok, merged}
 
-      error ->
-        error
+            {:error, _reason} ->
+              {:ok, acc}
+          end
+        end)
+
+      case result do
+        {:ok, grid} ->
+          {:ok, Map.reject(grid, fn {_point, values} -> values == %{} end)}
+
+        error ->
+          error
+      end
     end
   end
 
@@ -100,36 +117,56 @@ defmodule Microwaveprop.Weather.Grib2.Extractor do
     Map.new(points, fn point -> {point, %{}} end)
   end
 
-  defp extract_single_grid(msg, points) do
+  # Pre-compute Lambert Conformal grid indices for all points (done once, reused per message)
+  defp precompute_indices(grid, points) do
+    Enum.flat_map(points, fn {lat, lon} = point ->
+      case LambertConformal.to_grid_index(grid, lat, lon) do
+        {:ok, {i, j}} ->
+          [{point, linear_index({i, j}, grid.nx, grid.scan_mode)}]
+
+        {:error, :outside_grid} ->
+          []
+      end
+    end)
+  end
+
+  # Extract values for all pre-computed indices from a single GRIB message
+  defp extract_grid_with_indices(msg, grid_indices) do
     with {:ok, parsed} <- Section.parse_message(msg) do
-      %{grid_params: grid, product: prod, packing_params: packing, data: data} = parsed
+      %{product: prod, packing_params: packing, data: data} = parsed
       key = "#{prod.var}:#{prod.level}"
 
-      results =
-        Enum.reduce_while(points, {:ok, []}, fn {lat, lon} = point, {:ok, acc} ->
-          case LambertConformal.to_grid_index(grid, lat, lon) do
-            {:ok, {i, j}} ->
-              index = linear_index({i, j}, grid.nx, grid.scan_mode)
+      # For complex packing, decode_all is called once; for simple, each index is independent
+      unique_indices = grid_indices |> Enum.map(&elem(&1, 1)) |> Enum.uniq()
 
-              case unpack_value(packing, data, index) do
-                {:ok, value} -> {:cont, {:ok, [{point, key, value} | acc]}}
-                {:error, reason} -> {:halt, {:error, reason}}
+      case batch_unpack(packing, data, unique_indices) do
+        {:ok, index_values} ->
+          values =
+            Enum.flat_map(grid_indices, fn {point, index} ->
+              case Map.get(index_values, index) do
+                nil -> []
+                value -> [{point, value}]
               end
+            end)
 
-            {:error, :outside_grid} ->
-              {:cont, {:ok, acc}}
-          end
-        end)
+          {:ok, key, values}
 
-      case results do
-        {:ok, point_values} -> {:ok, point_values}
-        {:error, reason} -> {:error, reason}
+        {:error, reason} ->
+          {:error, reason}
       end
     end
   rescue
     e -> {:error, "GRIB2 grid extraction failed: #{inspect(e)}"}
   end
 
+  defp batch_unpack(%{template: 3} = params, data, indices) do
+    ComplexPacking.extract_values(params, data, indices)
+  end
+
+  defp batch_unpack(params, data, indices) do
+    SimplePacking.extract_values(params, data, indices)
+  end
+
   defp extract_single(msg, lat, lon) do
     with {:ok, parsed} <- Section.parse_message(msg),
          %{grid_params: grid, product: prod, packing_params: packing, data: data} = parsed,
diff --git a/lib/microwaveprop/weather/grib2/wgrib2.ex b/lib/microwaveprop/weather/grib2/wgrib2.ex
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..67e43b0d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/microwaveprop/weather/grib2/wgrib2.ex
@@ -0,0 +1,166 @@
+defmodule Microwaveprop.Weather.Grib2.Wgrib2 do
+  @moduledoc """
+  Fast GRIB2 grid extraction using the wgrib2 binary.
+
+  Uses wgrib2's `-lola` option to interpolate HRRR Lambert Conformal data
+  onto a regular lat-lon grid, outputting IEEE 754 binary floats.
+  Falls back to the pure-Elixir decoder if wgrib2 is not available.
+  """
+
+  require Logger
+
+  @wgrib2_path System.find_executable("wgrib2")
+  @undefined_value 9.999e20
+
+  @doc """
+  Extract values from a GRIB2 binary at a regular lat-lon grid.
+
+  Takes the raw GRIB2 binary data, a regex pattern to match desired messages
+  (e.g. ":(TMP|DPT|PRES):"), and grid specification.
+
+  Returns `{:ok, %{{lat, lon} => %{"VAR:LEVEL" => float}}}` or `{:error, reason}`.
+  """
+  def extract_grid(grib_binary, match_pattern, grid_spec) do
+    if available?() do
+      extract_with_wgrib2(grib_binary, match_pattern, grid_spec)
+    else
+      {:error, :wgrib2_not_available}
+    end
+  end
+
+  @doc "Check if wgrib2 is available on the system."
+  def available? do
+    @wgrib2_path != nil
+  end
+
+  defp extract_with_wgrib2(grib_binary, match_pattern, grid_spec) do
+    %{
+      lon_start: lon_start,
+      lon_count: lon_count,
+      lon_step: lon_step,
+      lat_start: lat_start,
+      lat_count: lat_count,
+      lat_step: lat_step
+    } = grid_spec
+
+    # wgrib2 uses 0-360 longitude convention
+    wgrib2_lon_start = normalize_lon(lon_start)
+
+    lon_spec = "#{wgrib2_lon_start}:#{lon_count}:#{lon_step}"
+    lat_spec = "#{lat_start}:#{lat_count}:#{lat_step}"
+
+    # Write GRIB to temp file
+    tmp_grib = Path.join(System.tmp_dir!(), "hrrr_#{System.unique_integer([:positive])}.grib2")
+    tmp_bin = tmp_grib <> ".lola.bin"
+
+    try do
+      File.write!(tmp_grib, grib_binary)
+
+      # Run wgrib2: match desired messages, extract to regular lat-lon grid as binary
+      args = [
+        tmp_grib,
+        "-match",
+        match_pattern,
+        "-lola",
+        lon_spec,
+        lat_spec,
+        tmp_bin,
+        "bin"
+      ]
+
+      case System.cmd(@wgrib2_path, args, stderr_to_stdout: true) do
+        {output, 0} ->
+          # Parse message inventory from stdout to know which vars were extracted
+          messages = parse_wgrib2_inventory(output)
+
+          case File.read(tmp_bin) do
+            {:ok, bin_data} ->
+              parse_lola_binary(bin_data, messages, grid_spec)
+
+            {:error, :enoent} ->
+              # No output file means no matching messages
+              {:ok, %{}}
+
+            {:error, reason} ->
+              {:error, "Failed to read wgrib2 output: #{inspect(reason)}"}
+          end
+
+        {output, exit_code} ->
+          {:error, "wgrib2 failed (exit #{exit_code}): #{String.slice(output, 0, 200)}"}
+      end
+    after
+      File.rm(tmp_grib)
+      File.rm(tmp_bin)
+    end
+  end
+
+  defp parse_wgrib2_inventory(output) do
+    output
+    |> String.split("\n")
+    |> Enum.flat_map(fn line ->
+      case String.split(line, ":", parts: 8) do
+        [_n, _offset, _date, var, level | _] ->
+          [%{var: var, level: level}]
+
+        _ ->
+          []
+      end
+    end)
+  end
+
+  defp parse_lola_binary(bin_data, messages, grid_spec) do
+    %{lon_count: nx, lat_count: ny, lon_start: lon_start, lon_step: lon_step, lat_start: lat_start, lat_step: lat_step} =
+      grid_spec
+
+    points_per_message = nx * ny
+    bytes_per_message = points_per_message * 4
+
+    result =
+      messages
+      |> Enum.with_index()
+      |> Enum.reduce(%{}, fn {msg, msg_idx}, acc ->
+        offset = msg_idx * bytes_per_message
+        key = "#{msg.var}:#{msg.level}"
+
+        if offset + bytes_per_message <= byte_size(bin_data) do
+          chunk = binary_part(bin_data, offset, bytes_per_message)
+          merge_message_values(acc, key, chunk, nx, ny, lon_start, lon_step, lat_start, lat_step)
+        else
+          acc
+        end
+      end)
+
+    {:ok, result}
+  end
+
+  defp merge_message_values(acc, key, chunk, nx, ny, lon_start, lon_step, lat_start, lat_step) do
+    # Binary is row-major: lat varies slowest, lon varies fastest
+    # Each value is a 32-bit IEEE 754 little-endian float
+    Enum.reduce(0..(ny - 1), acc, fn j, acc_outer ->
+      lat = Float.round(lat_start + j * lat_step, 3)
+
+      Enum.reduce(0..(nx - 1), acc_outer, fn i, acc_inner ->
+        offset = (j * nx + i) * 4
+        <<_::binary-size(offset), value::float-little-32, _::binary>> = chunk
+
+        if value > @undefined_value / 2 do
+          # Skip undefined values (ocean/outside-domain points)
+          acc_inner
+        else
+          lon = Float.round(denormalize_lon(lon_start + i * lon_step), 3)
+          point = {lat, lon}
+          existing = Map.get(acc_inner, point, %{})
+          Map.put(acc_inner, point, Map.put(existing, key, value))
+        end
+      end)
+    end)
+  end
+
+  # Convert -125.0 to 235.0 for wgrib2
+  defp normalize_lon(lon) when lon < 0, do: lon + 360.0
+  defp normalize_lon(lon), do: lon
+
+  # Convert back from 0-360 to -180..180
+  defp denormalize_lon(lon) when lon > 180.0, do: lon - 360.0
+  defp denormalize_lon(lon), do: lon
+end
diff --git a/lib/microwaveprop/weather/hrrr_client.ex b/lib/microwaveprop/weather/hrrr_client.ex
index 2a0a74be..12e3d8df 100644
--- a/lib/microwaveprop/weather/hrrr_client.ex
+++ b/lib/microwaveprop/weather/hrrr_client.ex
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 defmodule Microwaveprop.Weather.HrrrClient do
   @moduledoc false
 
+  alias Microwaveprop.Propagation.Grid
   alias Microwaveprop.Weather.Grib2.Extractor
+  alias Microwaveprop.Weather.Grib2.Wgrib2
 
   require Logger
 
@@ -210,7 +212,7 @@ defmodule Microwaveprop.Weather.HrrrClient do
     end
   end
 
-  defp fetch_product_grid(date, hour, product, points) do
+  defp fetch_product_grid(date, hour, product, _points) do
     url = hrrr_url(date, hour, product)
     idx_url = url <> ".idx"
 
@@ -228,10 +230,28 @@ defmodule Microwaveprop.Weather.HrrrClient do
          _ = Logger.info("HRRR grid downloading #{length(ranges)} GRIB ranges for #{product}"),
          {:ok, grib_binary} <- download_grib_ranges(url, ranges) do
       Logger.info("HRRR grid #{product} downloaded #{byte_size(grib_binary)} bytes, extracting")
+      extract_grid(grib_binary, wanted, product)
+    end
+  end
+
+  defp extract_grid(grib_binary, wanted, product) do
+    if Wgrib2.available?() do
+      match_pattern = wgrib2_match_pattern(wanted)
+      grid_spec = Grid.wgrib2_grid_spec()
+      Logger.info("HRRR grid using wgrib2 for #{product} extraction")
+      Wgrib2.extract_grid(grib_binary, match_pattern, grid_spec)
+    else
+      Logger.info("HRRR grid using Elixir decoder for #{product} extraction (slow)")
+      points = Grid.conus_points()
       Extractor.extract_grid(grib_binary, points)
     end
   end
 
+  defp wgrib2_match_pattern(wanted) do
+    vars = wanted |> Enum.map(& &1.var) |> Enum.uniq() |> Enum.join("|")
+    ":(#{vars}):"
+  end
+
   defp maybe_fetch_pressure_grid(date, hour, points, opts) do
     if Keyword.get(opts, :pressure, true) do
       fetch_product_grid(date, hour, :pressure, points)
@@ -262,18 +282,54 @@ defmodule Microwaveprop.Weather.HrrrClient do
   defp download_grib_ranges(_url, []), do: {:ok, <<>>}
 
   defp download_grib_ranges(url, ranges) do
-    Enum.reduce_while(ranges, {:ok, <<>>}, fn {start, stop}, {:ok, acc} ->
-      case Req.get(url, [{:headers, [{"Range", "bytes=#{start}-#{stop}"}]} | req_options()]) do
-        {:ok, %{status: 206, body: body}} ->
-          {:cont, {:ok, acc <> body}}
+    # Merge adjacent/overlapping ranges to reduce HTTP requests
+    merged = merge_ranges(ranges)
 
-        {:ok, %{status: status}} ->
-          {:halt, {:error, "HRRR grib HTTP #{status}"}}
+    # Download ranges in parallel
+    results =
+      merged
+      |> Task.async_stream(
+        fn {start, stop} ->
+          case Req.get(url, [{:headers, [{"Range", "bytes=#{start}-#{stop}"}]} | req_options()]) do
+            {:ok, %{status: 206, body: body}} -> {:ok, start, body}
+            {:ok, %{status: status}} -> {:error, "HRRR grib HTTP #{status}"}
+            {:error, reason} -> {:error, reason}
+          end
+        end,
+        max_concurrency: 8,
+        timeout: 60_000
+      )
+      |> Enum.map(fn
+        {:ok, result} -> result
+        {:exit, reason} -> {:error, reason}
+      end)
 
-        {:error, reason} ->
-          {:halt, {:error, reason}}
+    # Sort by offset and concatenate
+    case Enum.find(results, &match?({:error, _}, &1)) do
+      {:error, reason} ->
+        {:error, reason}
+
+      nil ->
+        binary =
+          results
+          |> Enum.sort_by(fn {:ok, offset, _} -> offset end)
+          |> Enum.map(fn {:ok, _, body} -> body end)
+          |> IO.iodata_to_binary()
+
+        {:ok, binary}
+    end
+  end
+
+  defp merge_ranges(ranges) do
+    ranges
+    |> Enum.sort_by(&elem(&1, 0))
+    |> Enum.reduce([], fn {s, e}, acc ->
+      case acc do
+        [{ps, pe} | rest] when s <= pe + 1 -> [{ps, max(pe, e)} | rest]
+        _ -> [{s, e} | acc]
       end
     end)
+    |> Enum.reverse()
   end
 
   defp req_options do