Multispectral satellite observations of severe storms

Article By:

Setvák, Martin Satellite Department, Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, Prague, Czech Republic.

Last reviewed:2008

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.YB080220

Currently, the principle tool for monitoring and studying severe convective storms is Doppler weather radar. Since the early days of weather satellites and in parallel with the advances in radar meteorology, scientists have been evaluating the capabilities of various satellite-borne instruments to provide additional, or alternative, information about storm severity. The major limitation of this method is that traditional satellite instruments observe only the uppermost layers (cloud tops) and do not “see” inside the cloud, and therefore do not have the capability to reveal the internal structure of the storm. Thus, some basic questions remain as to whether there are any storm-top characteristics or features that could provide information about the nature of the storm, its intensity, and potential severity, and whether there is any information in the cloud tops that could be used for storm warnings.

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