November 14, 2019 - Snow and Ice in Saskatchewan

Snow and Ice in Saskatchewan

A strong Arctic chill brought a blast of frigid air to Saskatchewan in early November, 2019. The high pressure ridge plunged wind-chill values into the minus 30’s centigrade (-22°F) in many parts of the province on November 11, according to local news media. The actual low temperature for Saskatoon was -13°C (8.6°F) on November 11, with even colder temperatures forecast through November 13. The bitter chill brought rapid freezing and was accompanied by moderate snowfall in some locations.

On November 11, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a false-color image of snow and ice across Saskatchewan. This false-color image uses a combination of shortwave infrared, near infrared and red (MODIS bands 7,2,1) to help distinguish ice from snow, water and clouds. Open, unfrozen water appears inky blue-black. Ice is pale blue, with thicker ice appearing brighter and thin, melting ice appearing a darker true-blue. Snow appears blue-green. Clouds are white to blue-green, with the colder or icy clouds appearing blue-green to blue. Vegetation appears bright green. Most of the lakes have frozen or carry forming ice on the surface.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 11/11/2019
Resolutions: 1km (468.3 KB), 500m (1.2 MB), 250m (888.9 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC