National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Frigid Cold in the East; Snow Continues in the Great Lakes

A frigid cold airmass will continue to bring colder weather across the eastern two thirds of the country early this week. Record low temperatures are expected to be tied or broken across the Southeast and Florida. Periods snow will continue downwind of the Great Lakes and in portions of interior New England through Tuesday afternoon, with several inches of snowfall accumulation expected. 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.