Winter’s first snow fell over the MidAtlantic states on December 19, 2004, covering the region with a dusting of white. Curiously, the Appalachian Mountains remain mostly bare, but snow covers the Midwestern states to the west. This true-color image was taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite on December 20, 2004. Though the clouds had cleared, winter’s grip tightened over the Eastern United States. Frigid arctic air blew out of the north, dropping temperatures well below freezing. The effect of the wind can be seen in the clouds offshore. The clouds sweep to the southeast, following the direction of the blowing wind.
The large image provided above has a resolution of 500 meters per pixel. It is available in additional resolutions from the MODIS Rapid Response Team.
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
