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NASA
The GOES-13 satellite snapped imagery of the two low pressure systems joining forces to slam the Northeast United States with heavy winds and snow. Observations were made between Feb. 7th and Feb. 9th, 2013.
By SPACE.com
A satellite in orbit captured the birth of the mega-snowstorm Saturday as the blizzard dumped feet of snow on New England and other parts of the Northeast.
The video of the snowstorm from space was recorded by the GOES-13 weather satellite from Thursday through early Saturday, as two low-pressure weather systems collided to form a single, giant nor'easter. According to NASA's GOES Project officials, "the two systems came together and created a blizzard of historic proportions in New England."
"On Feb. 9 at 4 a.m., hundreds of thousands of people were without power in Massachusetts alone," GOES Project officials wrote in a video description.
The snowstorm buried much of the Northeast in more than 2 feet of snow.
The GOES-13 satellite video shows the storm form over two days as a powerful Alberta Clipper system carrying cold Arctic air from Western Canada slammed into a low-pressure system that moved northward from the Gulf Coast in the south.
GOES-13 is operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which oversees a fleet of Earth-watching satellites with NASA to monitor the planet's weather systems.
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Kewl! I think I see global warming in the upper-right corner!
Equatorial warm water transported by the Atlantic gulf stream provides the energy to evaporate the moisture that turned into all that snow. It's the same energy that creates monster hurricanes and catastrophic storms. Because it's counter intuitive to equate snow storms with heat, some people dismiss the overwhelming scientific consensus that human activity is contributing enough energy and green house gases into the environment to tip normal temperature equilibrium to hotter on average.
This rise in average temperature beyond normal fluctuations is also causing disruptions in weather patterns that create disparate extremes like droughts in some areas and flooding in others. I'm not sure what the best solution is going to be, but ignoring or mocking the issue is not a long term solution to a potentially devastating problem.
Paul's right, it's very simple in this and other recent storms: rising sea surface temperatures are pumping more moisture in the atmosphere, which is not just wetter air but also warmer, more energetic air. And then we get fun stuff like this snow storm, Sandy, etc. Good times!
I am sure I read that even if we slam on the breaks with US emissions of green house gasses. That China (that has surpassed US green house gas emissions for the first time) and India Brazil etc will all continue to escalate theirs so unilateral reductions in US emissions will not be enough. And that in the best case scenario if everyone on the globe acts now that it will still not have a major impact in reversing current weather trends, until the end of this century. So buckle up were in for a rough ride.
the earth is warming up.there is more moisture in the atmosphere ,causing more radical weather.in minnesota we have double the number of 90* days ,and we get less snow and rain.
now, if we just pray to god more often, this would have not happened....it would be flowers everywhere even during the winter....
Would a goat sacrifice help?
Well, you know what they used to sacrifice when they really got desperate. Hopefully it won't come to that. Let them keep denying solid facts that the Earth is changing. Maybe they'll start believing when the water level reaches their necks.