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A winter storm moving across the Southwestern United States on January 25-26, 2021 left much of New Mexico layered under a blanket of white. Whiteout conditions were reported on Interstate 40 and icy conditions were responsible for at least 7 accidents on Interstate 25 North near mile marker 197 on the morning of January 26. Parts of other roads, such as NM 152, were closed due to snow packed and icy conditions.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of the aftermath of the storm on January 27. Bright white snow sits atop almost all high elevations in the north and east of the state. Heaviest accumulations can be seen in the San Juan Mountains, with the Sangre De Cristo Range and the Wet Mountains also covered in snow.
The NASA Worldview App allows for a comparison of the state’s snow accumulations both before and after the late January storm. To view a roll-over comparison between a MODIS image acquired by the Aqua satellite on January 17 and the image acquired by Terra and January 27 click here. To activate the roll-over feature on the Worldview App, place your cursor on the white line and move the line to the right. The line may be partially obscured by the labels on the left side of the display.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 1/27/2021
Resolutions:
1km (125.5 KB), 500m (472.6 KB), 250m (1.5 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC