December 10, 2019
A blast of frigid air from Canada is fueling lake-effect snow in several states downwind of the Great Lakes. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite captured this image of cloud streets streaming over Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, and Lake Huron on December 10, 2019, using its day-night band. The rows of clouds are created by cold, dry air blowing over warmer lake water in a way that produces parallel cylinders of rotating air that often yield heavy bands of snow.
References & Resources
- AccuWeather (2019, December 10) Lake-effect snow showers, squalls to cause treacherous travel around Great Lakes. Accessed December 10, 2019.
- NOAA Satellites (2019, December 10) Cloud Streets. Accessed December 10, 2019.
- NOAA What is Lake Effect Snow? Accessed December 10, 2019.
- Weather Nation (2019, December 10) Great Lakes Lake Effect Snow into Wednesday. Accessed December 10, 2019.
NASA Earth Observatory image by Joshua Stevens, using VIIRS day-night band data from the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership. Caption by Adam Voiland.
