Arctic Weather Satellite reveals ice clouds

Although ESA’s small Arctic Weather Satellite was built as a demonstrator for a future constellation, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) is now incorporating its data into its operational weather forecast system. The beneficial impact of assimilating Arctic Weather Satellite into ECMWF’s forecast system can already be seen in several fields. This figure is an example of assimilated observations from the Arctic Weather Satellite’s channel 13 (180.31 GHz) over a 12-hour period in mid-July 2025. The use of the new sub-mm observations is uniquely sensitivity to ice clouds.

Read full story: ESA’s Arctic Weather Satellite adds power to forecasts