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June 20, 2025 - Autumn Snow Blankets the Central Andes
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The final weeks of autumn brought stormy weather to the Central Andes, leaving behind a widespread blanket of newly fallen snow in the high elevations. Ski enthusiasts were thrilled with the additional powder, which left a beautiful base across the many ski resorts that dot both Chile and Argentina in this part of the Andes.
The first storm crossed the Central Andes from June 11-12 and was followed by a stronger system between June 14-17. By June 19, the ski resorts of El Colorado/Farellones, Valle Nevado, and La Parva, each reported snow depth of 125 cm (49.2 inches). These resorts are all located in the mountains near the city of Santiago, Chile. The snows have permitted many resorts to open as early as June 13, about a week earlier than anticipated.
On June 18, 2025, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of bright white snow covering the Central Andes.
The city of Santiago appears as an area of gray pixels in the northern section of the image and tucked close to the snowline on the western side of the Andes. The border between Chile and Argentina courses along the peaks of the mountains, with Argentina on the east and Chile on the west. Plumes of sediment color the coastal Pacific Ocean, the result of runoff from the storms, which delivered heavy rain to lower elevations.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 6/18/2025
Resolutions:
1km (771 KB), 500m (2.1 MB), 250m (1.6 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
The final weeks of autumn brought stormy weather to the Central Andes, leaving behind a widespread blanket of newly fallen snow in the high elevations. Ski enthusiasts were thrilled with the additional powder, which left a beautiful base across the many ski resorts that dot both Chile and Argentina in this part of the Andes.
The first storm crossed the Central Andes from June 11-12 and was followed by a stronger system between June 14-17. By June 19, the ski resorts of El Colorado/Farellones, Valle Nevado, and La Parva, each reported snow depth of 125 cm (49.2 inches). These resorts are all located in the mountains near the city of Santiago, Chile. The snows have permitted many resorts to open as early as June 13, about a week earlier than anticipated.
On June 18, 2025, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of bright white snow covering the Central Andes.
The city of Santiago appears as an area of gray pixels in the northern section of the image and tucked close to the snowline on the western side of the Andes. The border between Chile and Argentina courses along the peaks of the mountains, with Argentina on the east and Chile on the west. Plumes of sediment color the coastal Pacific Ocean, the result of runoff from the storms, which delivered heavy rain to lower elevations.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 6/18/2025
Resolutions:
1km (771 KB), 500m (2.1 MB), 250m (1.6 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
