EUMETSAT Annual Report 2021

The best case outcome from my project will be that we will be able to
use the EUMETSAT nowcasting software to develop a product that can
provide better lead times for potential severe weather warnings, and
“implement this here in Belgium and across Europe.
”
Dr Felix Erdmann, post-doctoral researcher at the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium
“I want to get a better understanding of how many severe weather
events are preluded by lightning jumps, and develop algorithms that
can automatically detect abrupt increases in lightning activity from
satellite data. At the moment we are working with data covering the
US, but as soon as MTG-I is up and running we will be able to use
this for Europe as well.”
The MTG-I Lightning Imager will deliver continuous lightning
observations over Europe, Africa, and parts of the Atlantic Ocean
and South America from the end of 2022.
"These are optical sensors and provide data from all types of
lightning across a wide geographical area - including remote
mountain and marine areas that are particularly difficult to monitor
from the ground,” Erdmann said. “We will be able to use this data
to understand and track current thunderstorms, wherever they are
on the continent, and then weather services will be able to use that
information to make better predictions about their course."
Laying the foundations for making best use of these new data
presents both the biggest challenges and greatest opportunities
of his fellowship, Erdmann said.
“The best case outcome from my project will be that we will be able
to use the EUMETSAT nowcasting software to develop a product that
can provide better lead times for potential severe weather warnings,
and implement this here in Belgium and across Europe.”
Main image: (credit: Patrick Wylleman)
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