Images
January 12, 2026 - Snow in the Southwestern United States
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The first severe multi-day storm system of 2026 swept across portions of the United States between January 8 and 10. The storm whipped up vicious winds across a swath from Oklahoma to Georgia, and spawned tornadoes in Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Louisiana, according to The Weather Channel.
Heavy rain and snow accompanied the winter storm, with substantial snow dumped in portions of the Southwest, especially the Four Corners region. The Four Corners is the location where corners of four states—Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico meet. The system dropped several feet of snow atop some high elevations in the Four Corners, causing ski resorts to cheer while snarling traffic and making some mountain roadways temporarily impassible.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this false-color image of fresh snow blanketing the Four Corners Region on January 9, just after the heaviest snowfall passed over the region.
In this type of image, snow and ice show up as pale electric blue, vegetation is bright green, water looks dark blue and open land is tan. Clouds usually look white, but high, cold cloud that contains ice crystals may also be tinted electric blue.
The central states visible in this image include Utah, with the Great Salt Lake visible, then moving clockwise they are Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. In the north, a portion of Wyoming can be viewed, and in the east, parts of Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and northwestern Texas are also visible.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 1/9/2025
Resolutions:
1km (1.9 MB), 500m (5.1 MB), 250m (7.1 MB)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
The first severe multi-day storm system of 2026 swept across portions of the United States between January 8 and 10. The storm whipped up vicious winds across a swath from Oklahoma to Georgia, and spawned tornadoes in Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Louisiana, according to The Weather Channel.
Heavy rain and snow accompanied the winter storm, with substantial snow dumped in portions of the Southwest, especially the Four Corners region. The Four Corners is the location where corners of four states—Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico meet. The system dropped several feet of snow atop some high elevations in the Four Corners, causing ski resorts to cheer while snarling traffic and making some mountain roadways temporarily impassible.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this false-color image of fresh snow blanketing the Four Corners Region on January 9, just after the heaviest snowfall passed over the region.
In this type of image, snow and ice show up as pale electric blue, vegetation is bright green, water looks dark blue and open land is tan. Clouds usually look white, but high, cold cloud that contains ice crystals may also be tinted electric blue.
The central states visible in this image include Utah, with the Great Salt Lake visible, then moving clockwise they are Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. In the north, a portion of Wyoming can be viewed, and in the east, parts of Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and northwestern Texas are also visible.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 1/9/2025
Resolutions:
1km (1.9 MB), 500m (5.1 MB), 250m (7.1 MB)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
