National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Autumn Temperatures for Eastern Third of the Country; Super Typhoon Approaching Guam

Cooler and less humid conditions for the eastern third of the nation as a cold slides off the east coast. Combination of dry and breezy conditions may result in spread of wildfires across the lower Mississippi Valley. In addition, fire weather conditions linger into portions of Southern California. For Guam, a super typhoon is approaching. 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.