Meteosat 8 composite: WV6.2-WV7.3; IR3.9-IR10.8; NIR1.6-VIS0.6

30th July 2005: 06UTC
The Severe Convection RGB, which is also discussed thoroughly in the MSG interpretation guide, is suitable for the detection of convection and it is able to discriminate between young and old convective cells.

The interpretation of the colours goes according to:

• red: Deep precipitating clouds contained of large ice particle
• yellow: Cbs with severe weather and strong updrafts; small ice particles OR thick high level lee cloudiness.
• darkred: Thin cirrus; large ice particles
• purple: Thin cirrus cloud; small ice particles
• blue: Thin to no clouds.

With this information it can now be derived that the occluded part of the frontal band covering central Europe is consistant of deep precipitating high level clouds. Especially over the Baltic Sea isolated convective cells are recognised. Within the cold front part which is covering Switzerland and France low level waterclouds are recognised. Embedded some yellow spots that can be the first signs of prefrontal convergence.
Further south over the Swiss Alps also some yellow spots are seen indicating clouds containing small ice-particles.

Note. One can always click on the to bring up the RGB-key.

30th July 2005: 07UTC
Within the occlusion some convective cells are embedded. Further to the south the cold front is recognised as the low level cloudiness pictured in blue covering Eastern France and Switzerland. Over Southern Switzerland an isolated Cb is recognised. To the east ahead of the frontal system on the border of Belarus and Ukraine two convective cells are observed.

30th July 2005: 08UTC
The occluded part of the frontal band covering central Europe is consistant of deep precipitating and some high level clouds. Especially over the Baltic Sea isolated convective cells are recognised. Within the cold front part which is covering Switzerland and France low level waterclouds are recognised.
Further south over the Swiss Alps also some yellow spots are seen indicative for some early-morning convection.

30th July 2005: 09UTC
Within the occlusion some convective cells are embedded. Further to the south the cold front is recognised as the low level cloudiness pictured in blue covering Eastern France and Switzerland. Over Switzerland a Cb cluster is recognised. To the east ahead of the frontal system on the border of Belarus and Ukraine two convective cells are observed.

30th July 2005: 10UTC
The occluded part of the frontal band covering central Europe is consistant of deep precipitating and some high level clouds. Especially over the Baltic Sea isolated convective cells is recognised. Within the cold front part which is covering Switzerland and France low level waterclouds are recognised. To the east ahead of the frontal system on the border of Belarus and Ukraine two convective cells are observed.

30th July 2005: 11UTC
The convection over the Ukraine is still observed in this image. The cells however are dying out as the start to change from yellow into reddish, which is a sign of change in size of ice-particles. Coming back to the area of interest south of the Alps - on the windward side a small cell is already recognised. This and also the convective development on the Lithuanian coast should be studied in the following hours.

30th July 2005: 12UTC
Over Austria and more in Switzerland signs of prefrontal convergence are seen. Small cells are recognised and should be looked at in following timesteps. The convection to the east over the Carpathians has continued, whereas the convectivity over Ukraine has almost dissapeared. North over the coast of Lithuania bright yellow spots indicate the area where deep precipitating clouds consisting of small iceparticles are found.

30th July 2005: 13UTC
The convection previously discussed over Austria has continued. Two convective cells are recognised over the Alps. Also more to the west over Switzerland several other convective cells are recognised. Further north over Eastern Poland a young cell is recognised.

30th July 2005: 14UTC
The appearance of a prefrontal convergence line becomes stronger. The cells over Austria, Switzerland and Italy have increased in size. Further north over Poland also several cells are recognised.

30th July 2005: 15UTC
Over Latvia a large convective cell is observed. Its colour suggests that it consists of small iceparticles indicating further maintenance. Southward a long line of prefrontal convergence is observed all the way up to Northern Italy. Still under influence of daytime convection and a high pressure system (anticyclonic movement is well observed in these satellite images) in Eastern Europe also several convective systems are recognised.

30th July 2005: 16UTC
Over Latvia and Lithuania a large and a small convective cell is observed. Southward a long line of prefrontal convergence is observed all the way up to Northern Italy.

30th July 2005: 17UTC
Over Latvia and Lithuania several convective cells are observed. Southward a long line of prefrontal convergence is observed all the way up to Northern Italy. At this stage also within the cold front part over Bavaria and the Czech Republic several thunderstorms are recognised. These appear more as orange to reddish, a sign that these clouds are consistant of larger ice particles (frontal origin).

30th July 2005: 18UTC
This combination makes use of Visible channels as becomes clear in this image. Due to the absence of information of channel 0.6 the contribution of 1.6 becomes very high (much blue). The convective cells appear as pink. Within the cold front part over Bavaria and the Czech Republic several thunderstorms are recognised which have increased in size of the past hour.