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January 7, 2026 - Sea Ice and Cloud Streets in the Sea of Okhotsk
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This windy, wintery scene of cloud and ice off the coast of Eastern Russia was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite on January 6, 2025. The chilly image shows snow across Sakhalin Island as well as sea ice clinging to the island’s shoreline. Long parallel lines of cumulus clouds known as “cloud streets” stretch over the Sea of Okhotsk, a sure sign of strong wind and cold temperatures.
Cloud streets develop in the troposphere when cold, dry air from land moves over the comparatively warm ocean and gains moisture. Where the warm, moist air rises, water vapor condenses to form clouds. Where cooled air sinks adjacent to the clouds, skies are clear. Cloud streets, also known as horizontal convective rolls, are oriented parallel to the direction of the wind.
The Sea of Okhotsk is noted for being a factory of clouds and ice, in part due to frigid northwesterly winds blowing from Siberia. Low temperatures in the town of Okha on Sakhalin Island dropped to a high of -11°C (12.2°F) and a low of -25°C (-13°F) on January 6, according to Weather Underground. January is typically the coldest month in Eastern Russia, although cloud streets and sea ice may be present in this location at any time during the winter.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 1/6/2026
Resolutions:
1km (626.6 KB), 500m (1.6 MB), 250m (2.6 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
This windy, wintery scene of cloud and ice off the coast of Eastern Russia was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite on January 6, 2025. The chilly image shows snow across Sakhalin Island as well as sea ice clinging to the island’s shoreline. Long parallel lines of cumulus clouds known as “cloud streets” stretch over the Sea of Okhotsk, a sure sign of strong wind and cold temperatures.
Cloud streets develop in the troposphere when cold, dry air from land moves over the comparatively warm ocean and gains moisture. Where the warm, moist air rises, water vapor condenses to form clouds. Where cooled air sinks adjacent to the clouds, skies are clear. Cloud streets, also known as horizontal convective rolls, are oriented parallel to the direction of the wind.
The Sea of Okhotsk is noted for being a factory of clouds and ice, in part due to frigid northwesterly winds blowing from Siberia. Low temperatures in the town of Okha on Sakhalin Island dropped to a high of -11°C (12.2°F) and a low of -25°C (-13°F) on January 6, according to Weather Underground. January is typically the coldest month in Eastern Russia, although cloud streets and sea ice may be present in this location at any time during the winter.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 1/6/2026
Resolutions:
1km (626.6 KB), 500m (1.6 MB), 250m (2.6 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
