Extreme weather, from above.
The engineers and scientists at Dundee University's Satellite Receiving Station record conditions above the earth year round, but their work has been in particular demand in the last month, as Scotland experienced exceptional weather conditions including high winds, blizzards and flooding.
The images below, transmitted from satellites as they pass over the station, give an aerial view of Britain on three of the most significant days, including Tuesday's devastating storm.
Helen Chivers, a Met Office Forecaster, explains what they show:
January 3rd: This image shows the most recent Atlantic storm to affect the UK. The 'eye of the storm' can be seen as a swirl of cloud to the east of Aberdeenshire. An interesting feature is that you can see the shadow cast by the clouds over the North Sea. This brought storm force winds to Scotland, especially through the Central Belt where gusts of 102mph were recorded at Blackford Hill, Edinburgh, 97mph at Islay and 91mph at Glasgow, Bishopton Airport.
December 28th: The image above shows the intense Atlantic depression (low pressure area) which brought stormy conditions to the country. The 'eye of the storm' shows up clearly as the swirl of cloud to the north of the Hebrides. This brought severe gale force westerly winds and frequent squally showers. Gusts of 79 mph were recorded on Tiree and South Uist.
December 18th: This image shows much of Scotland covered in snow following a few days which saw snow showers falling across the country. By the 18th the showers were mainly affecting coastal areas with clear skies over land allowing us to see the snow covered land. A temperature of -9.4 degrees C was recorded at Loch Glascarnoch early on December 18th - the lowest temperature recorded in the UK during December.
Online extra: Neil Lonie, manager of Dundee University's satellite receiving station, explains how the images are gathered
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