Martin Setvák and Michaela Radová (Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, Praha, Czech Republic) have compiled a database of subjectively detected overshooting tops, based on data from the MSG-1 (Meteosat-8) 2.5-minute rapid scan experiments. As the subjective detection of overshooting tops was based on HRV data, it can be used either for validation of various automated OT detection methods (VIS or IR based), for development and testing of new OT detection algorithms, or for any research purposes.

The database contains series of images (HRV, IR10.8-BT, sandwich of HRV and IR10.8 bands, sandwich of HRV and the Storm RGB product, and BTD (WV6.2-IR10.8)) with plotted locations of all subjectively detected overshooting tops, an Excel file with basic information about the detected OTs, and a PDF file with description of the used method (a paper from the 2014 EUMETSAT conference in Geneva).

As the authors spent a non-negligible time on setting up the database, they would acknowledge to have an overview of who is using the database, and therefore the zip file below is password protected. Anyone willing to use this database for her/his work (or just browse the database images) is therefore kindly asked to contact the authors and request the password (from michaela.radova@chmi.cz or setvak@chmi.cz). Any feedback is welcome.

Download: MSG_OT_database.zip (size 660 MB).

Mária Putsay, Zsófia Kocsis, Gergely Bölöni, Mihály Szűcs (Hungarian Meteorological Service) and Marianne König (EUMETSAT) have performed a study of the Impact of Background Models to the Global Instability Index product. Here you can download a presentation of the study.

The Global Instability Indices product provide information on the pre-convective environment: precipitable water content (total column and three distinct layers) and instability indices, in clear sky conditions.

It is derived by a physical retrieval using 6 SEVIRI infrared channels. The physical retrieval tries to find an atmospheric profile which best reproduces the observations. This is a multi-solution problem, and a “background profile” is used as a constraint.

Different NWP models (ECMWF, ALADIN/HU, AROME) were used as a background for several cases to study the impact of the background fields. Cases when the models had similar and different forecasts were selected then the GII outputs were compared to each other. The effects of the horizontal and vertical resolution of the background fields were studied.

Martin Setvák (CHMI) has compiled a summary of the 2.5-minute rapid scan experiments, carried out in 2012 and 2013 with the Meteosat Second Generation satellites. These can be found here (PDF version of a presentation, given by Martin Setvák on 02 October 2013 at CIMSS, Madison, Wisconsin). A related EUMETSAT document, MSG 2.5-min Rapid Scan Operational Constraints, presented at the EUMETSAT STG-OPSWG meeting on 11 September 2013 in Darmstadt, is available here.

Detailed image loops from the two most interesting days, 20 June 2013 and 29 July 2013, can be found below. The loops are in the original satellite projection, the HRV images being zoom 2x, all other bands 6x. All files are 1280×800, QuickTime MOV files.

20 June 2013

HRV
IR10.8-BT (200-240K)
Storm-RGB
Sandwich of HRV and IR10.8-BT
Sandwich of HRV and storm-RGB

29 July 2013

HRV
IR10.8-BT (200-240K)
Storm-RGB
Sandwich of HRV and IR10.8-BT
Sandwich of HRV and storm-RGB

Martin Setvák (CHMI)

Following the first experimental 2.5-minute rapid scan carried out with MSG-3, EUMETSAT agreed to perform several similar 2.5-minute rapid scans with its older satellite, Meteosat-8 (MSG-1). Based upon recommendations of the satellite manufacturers, total of four 12-hour scanning sessions were approved have been carried out during the spring and summer of 2013. Below, you will find overview movie files (1280×540) for all the data collected during these 2.5-minute rapid scan sessions. The original (source) SEVIRI data from these experiments can be ordered and downloaded from the EUMETSAT’s Earth Observation Portal archive (https://eoportal.eumetsat.int/), for a special access to these data please contact the User Support Helpdesk (ops@eumetsat.int) first.

Overview movie files:

2013-05-17

RGB-129 slower (10-fps): mp4 or mov, faster (30-fps): mp4 or mov
IR10.8-BT (200-240K) slower (10-fps): mp4 or mov, faster (30-fps): mp4 or mov
Storm-RGB slower (10-fps): mp4 or mov, faster (30-fps): mp4 or mov

2013-06-17

RGB-129 slower (10-fps): mp4 or mov, faster (30-fps): mp4 or mov
IR10.8-BT (200-240K) slower (10-fps): mp4 or mov, faster (30-fps): mp4 or mov
Storm-RGB slower (10-fps): mp4 or mov, faster (30-fps): mp4 or mov

2013-06-20

RGB-129 slower (10-fps): mp4 or mov, faster (30-fps): mp4 or mov
IR10.8-BT (200-240K) slower (10-fps): mp4 or mov, faster (30-fps): mp4 or mov
Storm-RGB slower (10-fps): mp4 or mov, faster (30-fps): mp4 or mov

2013-07-29

RGB-129 slower (10-fps): mp4 or mov, faster (30-fps): mp4 or mov
IR10.8-BT (200-240K) slower (10-fps): mp4 or mov, faster (30-fps): mp4 or mov
Storm-RGB slower (10-fps): mp4 or mov, faster (30-fps): mp4 or mov

In the framework of a EUMETSAT Scientific Study, colleagues from the Hungarian Meteorological Service OMSZ and EUMETSAT have studied the Convective Initiation product and satellite derived environmental parameters (atmospheric water vapour content and instability) for a number of severe and non-severe storm cases.

Mária Putsay, Zsófia Kocsis, Marianne Koenig, André Simon, Ildikó Szenyán and Márta Diószeghy investigated the possibilities to combine the Convection Initiation information with the environmental instability and airmass parameters to further improve the reliability of the product, and to study a possible relationship between the pre-convective environment and later storm severity.

The results can be found in this presentation (ppt).

Martin Setvák

The document and the related presentation (zip file), given at the EUMETSAT 34th STG-SWG meeting, focus on data collected within the 2.5-minute super-rapid scan experiment that was carried out by EUMETSAT on 11-12 September 2012 with the MSG-3 satellite during its commissioning. Despite the fact that the experiment was conducted in late summer at the end of convective season for most of Europe, the data captured several regions of deep convective storm activity. The study documents some of these regions, focusing on the appearance and evolution of storm tops namely from the perspective of possible impacts of the shorter scanning interval on detection of overshooting tops.

Supported by the international training project EUMeTrain, Petra Mikus (DHMZ) performed a study on a satellite-based method to detect overshooting tops and its application for nowcasting. Her research was presented at the Convection Week, at the EUMETSAT conference and the ECSS conference.

You are encouraged to take note of this research in this PDF.

Storm outbreak – 15 August 2010

The storms that occurred on the 15th August 2010 in parts of central and eastern Europe were interesting from many aspects. Given their highly variable appearance and characteristics of these storms, this date was selected as the second CWG golden case, to be examined in detail, as well as used to test various convection-related algorithms.

Proceed to the presentation of the Golden Case 2010…