Lightning can strike, but it cannot hide from an ESA satellite

The US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration has been tracking lightning strikes in North and South America since 2017, using the Geostationary Lightning Chart aboard the Geostationary Operational Satellite, known as GOES. The European system expands lightning detection to regions of Europe, Africa and the Middle East (with overlapping coverage in parts of South America) and provides major technical improvements that will provide a wealth of data for global meteorologists.

“First, we have better resolution,” said Gioia Pastorini, project engineering manager at Leonardo SPA, the aerospace company that developed the imaging on Meteosat. “We can detect even a single lightning strike, whereas GOES can only detect a group of events. In terms of energy, we can detect the weakness of lightning.”

Carlo Simoncelli, director of software at Leonardo, said the data from the imaging device would be useful for weather forecasting. Lightning is associated with tornadoes, and there is a noticeable increase in lightning remaining within clouds about half an hour before the tornado strikes. Being able to detect it from space, Simoncelli said, “gives us the ability to give early warning of potentially catastrophic events.”

Having the system always running and producing data in all conditions is a huge advantage. “It’s very easy to spot lightning at night in the desert,” said Ms. Pastorini. “But if you look at the lightning’s reflection off the ocean or just during the day, it’s much more difficult.”