Surprise Snow in Colorado

Click here to view full image (2889 kb)

A surprise storm buried sections of Colorado with as much as 61 centimeters (24 inches) of snow on April 10, 2005. According to the Associated Press, the spring storm cancelled flights and closed a major interstate highway, stranding travelers. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this view of the fresh snow on April 12, 2005. The Rocky Mountains in the center of the state had already been covered with a coat of snow, but the plains to the east are also now white. Denver, the capital of Colorado, forms a dark circle in the snow near the base of the mountains. The city reported 30 cm (12 inches) of snow.

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. The image is available in additional resolutions.

Recommend this Image to a Friend

Back to: Newsroom

Also see