Fire Weather Concerns; Record Warmth Spreads

The Plains to the mid-Mississippi Valley continue with warm and dry conditions. Any fires that initiate could spread quickly. The warm temperatures will expand across the Southern Plains into the Southwest where numerous records are expected through the weekend. Meanwhile, a cold front will move southward across the northern Plains and Great Lakes region where some snow will develop this weekend. Read More >

The image below is a 1000m resolution, "true color" image from the MODIS satellite valid today - 1 February 2012. A couple interesting features noted on the image are described below:

Areas in "brown" are predominantly void of snow. As such - a vast majority of South Dakota is completely snow free! Obviously, this is quite rare for the 1st of February.
The "brown ground" is able to absorb much more solar energy, which allows temperatures to warm. This is a major reason why temperatures have remained above normal.
Residual areas of snowcover (white) are confined to the Black Hills region in western South Dakota and the Glacial Lakes region in northeastern South Dakota.
A large section of Lake Oahe north of Pierre is free of ice (dark blue color). Again, very rare for early February.

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Fire Weather Concerns; Record Warmth Spreads

Image of the Day - Satellite Image of a Snow Free South Dakota