‘Four dimensional’ weather forecasting begins across Europe

The first geostationary satellite providing data on temperature and humidity over Europe has entered service. Meteorologists will be better able to track fast-evolving weather events, to strengthen forecasts and severe weather warnings.

A satellite providing ground-breaking 4D observations of the atmosphere has begun operations, making earlier warnings of severe weather across Europe a reality.

The Meteosat Third Generation Sounder (MTG-S1) is the first ever European sounding satellite in geostationary orbit.

This is a very powerful combination, and when used in our forecast models, allows us to provide more accurate predictions and better warnings of severe weather.Data from MTG-S1 will boost both current and the next generation of weather forecasts. It was launched on 1 July 2025, and has spent the

past year undergoing testing and checks.What makes the satellite ground-breaking?The satellite carries an infrared sounder, which will scan Europe every 30 minutes, providing n

ear-real time observations of how warm an

d humid the air is at different heights over Europe, and to track ozone, dust and volcanic ash. This is a significant shift from observations from existing satellites, which typically visit Europe a few times a day.From around 36,00

0 kilometres above the equator, the infrared sounder …….