Monitoring the 11 August 2017 storm in central Poland with satellite data and products

This paper presents the evolution of the mesoscale convection system as seen on satellite images during all stages: pre-convection, initiation, and maturity. The evolution of any atmospheric phenomenon can be monitored effectively only when the data available have adequate temporal and spatial resolution. In case of convective storms the resolution should be minutes and kilometers. Therefore, data from the METEOSAT geostationary satellite, with 5-minute and 15-minute intervals were used operationally to monitor the storm of 11 August 2017; this was a most destructive storms, concentrated in several districts of the Pomeranian, Greater Poland, and Kuyavian-Pomeranian voivodeships. Analysis demonstrated that some alarming features, like cold rings or cold U/V shapes, can be visible on the single channel satellite images, without even referring to specific convective products. However, the nowcasting of the convective phenomena requires careful analysis of several dedicated products, including stability indices and water vapor content in the troposphere. It has been shown that with comprehensive analysis of the information provided by the different satellite images and satellite derived products, it is possible to draw conclusions about the severity of the observed storms as well as the probability of the occurrence of the extreme weather at the ground.