December 1, 2023 - Snow across the Upper Midwest

Snow

As millions of Americans traveled home after the Thanksgiving holiday, a winter storm plowed across the upper Midwest. The storm dropped rain and snow on several states and caused delays for travelers.

A streak of snow is visible from Nebraska to Michigan in this true-color image acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite on November 27, 2023.

Much of the snow fell on November 25 and 26. After the storm, ground-based measurements indicated that Kansas City, Missouri, received 2 inches (5 centimeters) of snow, and Trenton—80 miles (130 kilometers) to the west—received 4 inches (10 centimeters). On November 26, the storm delayed more than 900 flights at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, where nearly 2 inches fell, according to news reports.

The same weather system unloaded 1-2 feet (30-60 centimeters) of snow on the Rockies on November 23 and 24. According to Weather Channel meteorologist Jonathan Erdman, more than 18 inches (46 centimeters) fell on Lander, Wyoming—almost twice the city’s average snowfall for the month of November (1991-2020).

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 11/28/2023
Resolutions: 1km (2.5 MB), 500m (2.4 MB),
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC