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December 14, 2025 - Snow in the Rockies
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Snow capped the Rocky Mountains after storms crossed the region in early December 2025. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image centered on the Colorado Rocky Mountains on December 10.
According to local media, by December 10, a high-impact snowstorm topped Vail Mountain with a total of 27 inches (68.6 cm) of snow. Copper Mountain depth reached 25 inches (63.5 cm), with 19 inches (48.3 cm) of that amount falling just on December 8-9.
The newly fallen snow helped reduce a severe deficit in the snowpack but did not eliminate it. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, as of December 7, snow cover across the U.S. West was the lowest in MODIS satellite record (since 2001). At the same time, precipitation in Water Year 2026 (October 1, 2025-September 30, 2026) was at or above median in many parts of the West. This is attributed to warmer than normal temperatures in November, which caused precipitation to fall as rain rather than snow.
In late November, Colorado snowpack across all basins in the state were 20-38 percent of average. By December 5, local media confirmed that snowpack had reached 58 percent of average. By December 10, after a weekend with cold temperatures and copious snow, the snowpack reached 73 percent of average.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 12/10/2025
Resolutions:
1km (195.8 KB), 500m (534.6 KB), 250m (1017.7 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Snow capped the Rocky Mountains after storms crossed the region in early December 2025. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image centered on the Colorado Rocky Mountains on December 10.
According to local media, by December 10, a high-impact snowstorm topped Vail Mountain with a total of 27 inches (68.6 cm) of snow. Copper Mountain depth reached 25 inches (63.5 cm), with 19 inches (48.3 cm) of that amount falling just on December 8-9.
The newly fallen snow helped reduce a severe deficit in the snowpack but did not eliminate it. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, as of December 7, snow cover across the U.S. West was the lowest in MODIS satellite record (since 2001). At the same time, precipitation in Water Year 2026 (October 1, 2025-September 30, 2026) was at or above median in many parts of the West. This is attributed to warmer than normal temperatures in November, which caused precipitation to fall as rain rather than snow.
In late November, Colorado snowpack across all basins in the state were 20-38 percent of average. By December 5, local media confirmed that snowpack had reached 58 percent of average. By December 10, after a weekend with cold temperatures and copious snow, the snowpack reached 73 percent of average.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 12/10/2025
Resolutions:
1km (195.8 KB), 500m (534.6 KB), 250m (1017.7 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
