In a significant leap forward for meteorology, the preliminary data obtained by Meteosat Third Generation’s two instruments, the Flexible Combined Imager (FCI) and the Lightning Imager (LI), were successfully combined today for the first time – highlighting their complementary capabilities. This first set of animations gives us a preview of the system’s future impact.

The animation shown here combines data from the Meteosat Third Generation’s Flexible Combined Imager (FCI) and the Lightning Imager (LI), starting at 12:00 UTC on 03 June 2023 and ending at 12:00 UTC of 04 June 2023.

The animation shows widespread lightning activity across Southern Europe and the Mediterranean, when local thunderstorms happened. Additionally, more extensive and enduring storm systems are visible over the Mediterranean, with lightning activity persisting through the night.

As expected, it also shows the widespread increase of lightning activity during the day, fading away after sunset. The northern part of Europe is predominantly cloud-free due to the dominance of a large and persistent high-pressure system during the data collection period.

This is preliminary commissioning data, not for operational use. For more information: A forecasting revolution on its way