diff --git a/src/core_plugins/metrics/common/interval_regexp.js b/src/core_plugins/metrics/common/interval_regexp.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..011c173b63b46
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/core_plugins/metrics/common/interval_regexp.js
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+import dateMath from '@elastic/datemath';
+export const GTE_INTERVAL_RE = new RegExp(`^>=([\\d\\.]*\\s*(${dateMath.units.join('|')}))$`);
+export const INTERVAL_STRING_RE = new RegExp('^([0-9\\.]*)\\s*(' + dateMath.units.join('|') + ')$');
+
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/metrics/public/components/index_pattern.js b/src/core_plugins/metrics/public/components/index_pattern.js
index 5625de853e367..f036ce440b485 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/metrics/public/components/index_pattern.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/metrics/public/components/index_pattern.js
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ export const IndexPattern = props => {
         />
       </div>
       <label className="vis_editor__label" htmlFor={htmlId('interval')}>
-        Interval (auto, 1m, 1d, 1w, 1y)
+        Interval (auto, 1m, 1d, 1w, 1y, &gt;=1m)
       </label>
       <input
         id={htmlId('interval')}
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/metrics/public/kbn_vis_types/request_handler.js b/src/core_plugins/metrics/public/kbn_vis_types/request_handler.js
index fdb1cc6015acf..98825fd0f2a6b 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/metrics/public/kbn_vis_types/request_handler.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/metrics/public/kbn_vis_types/request_handler.js
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ const MetricsRequestHandlerProvider = function (Private, Notifier, config, timef
     name: 'metrics',
     handler: function (vis /*, appState, uiState, queryFilter*/) {
       const timezone = Private(timezoneProvider)();
-
       return new Promise((resolve) => {
         const panel = vis.params;
         if (panel && panel.id) {
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/metrics/public/lib/validate_interval.js b/src/core_plugins/metrics/public/lib/validate_interval.js
index ea397b9f14eed..6a342a8bace19 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/metrics/public/lib/validate_interval.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/metrics/public/lib/validate_interval.js
@@ -1,16 +1,19 @@
 import { parseInterval } from 'ui/utils/parse_interval';
+import { GTE_INTERVAL_RE } from '../../common/interval_regexp';
 export function validateInterval(timefilter, panel, maxBuckets) {
   const { interval } = panel;
   const { min, max } = timefilter.getBounds();
   // No need to check auto it will return around 100
+  if (!interval) return;
   if (interval === 'auto') return;
+  const greaterThanMatch = interval.match(GTE_INTERVAL_RE);
+  if (greaterThanMatch) return;
   const duration = parseInterval(interval);
-  if (!duration) {
-    throw new Error(`Invalid interval: ${interval} is not a valid interval`);
-  }
-  const span = max.valueOf() - min.valueOf();
-  const buckets = Math.floor(span / duration.asMilliseconds());
-  if (buckets > maxBuckets) {
-    throw new Error(`Max buckets exceeded: ${buckets} is greater than ${maxBuckets}, try a larger time interval in the panel options.`);
+  if (duration) {
+    const span = max.valueOf() - min.valueOf();
+    const buckets = Math.floor(span / duration.asMilliseconds());
+    if (buckets > maxBuckets) {
+      throw new Error(`Max buckets exceeded: ${buckets} is greater than ${maxBuckets}, try a larger time interval in the panel options.`);
+    }
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/metrics/server/lib/vis_data/__tests__/helpers/get_bucket_size.js b/src/core_plugins/metrics/server/lib/vis_data/__tests__/helpers/get_bucket_size.js
index c22c744b1b213..60de2065bff7d 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/metrics/server/lib/vis_data/__tests__/helpers/get_bucket_size.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/metrics/server/lib/vis_data/__tests__/helpers/get_bucket_size.js
@@ -35,4 +35,16 @@ describe('getBucketSize', () => {
     expect(result).to.have.property('intervalString', '1d');
   });
 
+  it('returns overriden buckets (>=2d)', () => {
+    const result = getBucketSize(req, '>=2d');
+    expect(result).to.have.property('bucketSize', 86400 * 2);
+    expect(result).to.have.property('intervalString', '2d');
+  });
+
+  it('returns overriden buckets (>=10s)', () => {
+    const result = getBucketSize(req, '>=10s');
+    expect(result).to.have.property('bucketSize', 30);
+    expect(result).to.have.property('intervalString', '30s');
+  });
+
 });
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/metrics/server/lib/vis_data/helpers/get_bucket_size.js b/src/core_plugins/metrics/server/lib/vis_data/helpers/get_bucket_size.js
index d5d19f6a10278..dea0cd44aaacd 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/metrics/server/lib/vis_data/helpers/get_bucket_size.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/metrics/server/lib/vis_data/helpers/get_bucket_size.js
@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
 import calculateAuto from './calculate_auto';
 import moment from 'moment';
 import unitToSeconds from './unit_to_seconds';
+import {
+  INTERVAL_STRING_RE,
+  GTE_INTERVAL_RE
+} from '../../../../common/interval_regexp';
 export default (req, interval) => {
   const from = moment.utc(req.payload.timerange.min);
   const to = moment.utc(req.payload.timerange.max);
@@ -9,7 +13,19 @@ export default (req, interval) => {
   if (bucketSize < 1) bucketSize = 1; // don't go too small
   let intervalString = `${bucketSize}s`;
 
-  const matches = interval && interval.match(/^([\d]+)([shmdwMy]|ms)$/);
+  const gteAutoMatch = interval && interval.match(GTE_INTERVAL_RE);
+  if (gteAutoMatch) {
+    const intervalStringMatch = gteAutoMatch[1].match(INTERVAL_STRING_RE);
+    const gteBucketSize = Number(intervalStringMatch[1]) * unitToSeconds(intervalStringMatch[2]);
+    if (gteBucketSize >= bucketSize) {
+      return {
+        bucketSize: gteBucketSize,
+        intervalString: gteAutoMatch[1]
+      };
+    }
+  }
+
+  const matches = interval && interval.match(INTERVAL_STRING_RE);
   if (matches) {
     bucketSize = Number(matches[1]) * unitToSeconds(matches[2]);
     intervalString = interval;