Arctic blast brought snow to 50 states - Earth.com

Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features snow across much of the eastern United States after an Arctic blast of cold air moved across the country in mid-January. 

“Starting on January 13, a cold front brought sub-zero wind chills to over 100 million Americans. The system dropped several inches of snow in parts of Mississippi and Tennessee and buried cities downwind of the Great Lakes in multiple feet of lake-effect snow,” said NASA.

“Over the next two days, parts of Tennessee saw accumulations of 5 to 8 inches (13 to 20 centimeters). More than 6 inches fell on Nashville on January 15, breaking the city’s record for that date and exceeding its average annual snowfall of about 5 inches. Icy, snowy roads created hazardous driving conditions in the state, which led to a high number of fatalities, according to news reports.”

“Another blast of cold air plunged south from Canada and moved through the eastern U.S. on January 19 and 20, piling on more wintery precipitation.”

According to The Weather Channel, snow had fallen in all 50 states by January 17. TWC reported that the recent Arctic blast brought flurries to Florida’s panhandle, and a previous storm left a dusting of snow at high elevations in Hawaii.

The image was captured on January 21, 2024 by the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite. 

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory 

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