Images
September 4, 2023 - Snow in the Andes
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In late August 2023, the “storm of the decade” dumped feet of snow over portions of the Andes Mountains. In Portillo Chile snowflakes started falling on August 19. Only four days later, accumulation was reported to be 150 cm (59 in/4.9 ft). By August 24, Ski Portillo Chile declared the storm’s total measured 250 cm (98.4 in/8.2 ft) and they were looking forward to fabulous skiing—once the roads were clear enough to allow traffic to reach the resort.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a false-color image of snowpack on the Andes Mountains on August 27. The border between Chile (west) and Argentina (west) runs along the high peaks.
In this type of false-color image infrared and visible light (MODIS bands 7,2,1) are combined to help separate water (deep blue) from vegetation (bright green), open land (tan or brown), snow (electric blue), and cloud (white).
The city of Santiago, Chile is visible as a brown circle near the western edge of the snow and surrounded by green vegetation. It sits just north and west of the center of the image. Portillo is not visible but is located in the mountains northeast of Santiago and buried under snow.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 8/27/2023
Resolutions:
1km (1.2 MB), 500m (3.4 MB), 250m (2.3 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
In late August 2023, the “storm of the decade” dumped feet of snow over portions of the Andes Mountains. In Portillo Chile snowflakes started falling on August 19. Only four days later, accumulation was reported to be 150 cm (59 in/4.9 ft). By August 24, Ski Portillo Chile declared the storm’s total measured 250 cm (98.4 in/8.2 ft) and they were looking forward to fabulous skiing—once the roads were clear enough to allow traffic to reach the resort.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a false-color image of snowpack on the Andes Mountains on August 27. The border between Chile (west) and Argentina (west) runs along the high peaks.
In this type of false-color image infrared and visible light (MODIS bands 7,2,1) are combined to help separate water (deep blue) from vegetation (bright green), open land (tan or brown), snow (electric blue), and cloud (white).
The city of Santiago, Chile is visible as a brown circle near the western edge of the snow and surrounded by green vegetation. It sits just north and west of the center of the image. Portillo is not visible but is located in the mountains northeast of Santiago and buried under snow.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 8/27/2023
Resolutions:
1km (1.2 MB), 500m (3.4 MB), 250m (2.3 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
