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March 1, 2023 - Snow in San Diego County
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On February 23, 2023, as an unusual winter storm threatened Southern California, a local weather report commented, “When we describe snow on San Diego County's mountains, it's typically with words like dusting and slushy. This time, we can safely use the word dumping.” And they were not wrong—a massive dump of snow landed on the high elevations across Southern California over the next few days. The extreme winter weather also prompted the National Weather Service (NWS) San Diego to issue a blizzard warning for the San Bernadino Mountains for the first time in history.
The storm brought heavy rain to the coast and valleys along with snow in the high elevations. According to the NWS San Diego, between February 23 and 26, fresh snow fall at Mountain High Ski Resort measured 93 inches (236 cm). That’s a whopping 7.75 feet (2.4 meters) in just three days. Snow Valley recorded 78-90 inches (198-228 cm), with other elevations over 5,000 feet reporting 63-77 inches (160-196 cm). Snow didn’t spare the lower mountain elevations, with the town of Julian, located at 4,400 feet, accumulating 10 inches (25 cm).
While the heavy snow was as beautiful as it was unusual, it caused difficulties, including impassible roads and some power outages. Several school districts cancelled classes or delayed opening.
On February 27, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite took advantage of a sunny spot between storms and acquired a true-color image showing bounteous fresh snow atop the mountains in far Southern California. The image shows snow-capped mountains in both Mexico (south) and in California (north), with a break in the white near the border between the two countries. The city of San Diego, California, shows up as gray pixels on the coast of the Pacific Ocean and blends in with the city of Tijuana, Mexico (south).
In the northwest, clouds cover the scene, likely the leading edge of the next winter storm, which is due to cross the region from February 28-March 1. The NWS San Diego advised to expect lowland rain, strong west winds, and heavy snow, once again measured in feet, not just in inches. Morning commuters can expect slick, slow travel across the region.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 2/27/2023
Resolutions:
1km (111.3 KB), 500m (280.6 KB), 250m (202 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
On February 23, 2023, as an unusual winter storm threatened Southern California, a local weather report commented, “When we describe snow on San Diego County's mountains, it's typically with words like dusting and slushy. This time, we can safely use the word dumping.” And they were not wrong—a massive dump of snow landed on the high elevations across Southern California over the next few days. The extreme winter weather also prompted the National Weather Service (NWS) San Diego to issue a blizzard warning for the San Bernadino Mountains for the first time in history.
The storm brought heavy rain to the coast and valleys along with snow in the high elevations. According to the NWS San Diego, between February 23 and 26, fresh snow fall at Mountain High Ski Resort measured 93 inches (236 cm). That’s a whopping 7.75 feet (2.4 meters) in just three days. Snow Valley recorded 78-90 inches (198-228 cm), with other elevations over 5,000 feet reporting 63-77 inches (160-196 cm). Snow didn’t spare the lower mountain elevations, with the town of Julian, located at 4,400 feet, accumulating 10 inches (25 cm).
While the heavy snow was as beautiful as it was unusual, it caused difficulties, including impassible roads and some power outages. Several school districts cancelled classes or delayed opening.
On February 27, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite took advantage of a sunny spot between storms and acquired a true-color image showing bounteous fresh snow atop the mountains in far Southern California. The image shows snow-capped mountains in both Mexico (south) and in California (north), with a break in the white near the border between the two countries. The city of San Diego, California, shows up as gray pixels on the coast of the Pacific Ocean and blends in with the city of Tijuana, Mexico (south).
In the northwest, clouds cover the scene, likely the leading edge of the next winter storm, which is due to cross the region from February 28-March 1. The NWS San Diego advised to expect lowland rain, strong west winds, and heavy snow, once again measured in feet, not just in inches. Morning commuters can expect slick, slow travel across the region.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 2/27/2023
Resolutions:
1km (111.3 KB), 500m (280.6 KB), 250m (202 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
