November 22, 2014 - Snow in northeastern China and Russia

Snow in northeastern China and Russia

Snow fell across northeastern China and Russia for several days in mid-November, 2014. According to Xinhua News Agency, a blizzard swept through the northwestern provinces of China from November 15 – 19, forcing schools and highways to close. Jilin was one of the provinces that felt the blizzard’s bitterest bite, with more than 10 cm (3.9 in) of snow reported in the cities of Changchun and Baishan.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image of the snowy situation on November 16. Black borderlines have been overlain on the image to delineate boundaries between countries. Russia lies to the north and east, and China to the south and west.

Ice is beginning to form along the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, in the far northeast, and the rivers in Russia, including the large Amur River in the east, are wearing a mantle of icy white. Further south, in China, most of the waterways appear unfrozen. The eastern coast of Russia is mostly snow-free, with a light dusting of snow beginning just inland. The heaviest snows are patchy throughout the region, but snow appears thickest in northern Russia and in the Heilongjiang province of China. The cities of Changchun and Baishan, in Jilin province, are hidden under cloud in the southernmost section of this image.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 11/16/2014
Resolutions: 1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC