Snow in the southeastern US!
Due to strong, cold, upper-level low that swept through the southeastern United States last weekend (8-9 December 2017), there were variable snow totals that accumulated from southeastern Louisiana, all the way to the Appalachian Mountains. Snow totals varied from a trace of snow to 10 inches plus in some areas. The local NWS-Atlanta, GA, has some updated snow totals from this uncommon December snowstorm.
Even more fascinating, the large swaths/fields of snow that impacted the southeastern United States can be seen via satellite. The Suomi-National Polar-orbiting Satellite (SNPP), in which, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), an instrument on-board SNPP is utilized here. VIIRS has 22 spectral channels, and the following satellite imagery is produced from one of those spectral channels; the Imagery Band (I-1) (0.64um) visible channel. This channel is at a high spatial resolution (375-m) and can see the snow swaths extending from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia to the Carolinas, during the daytime (i.e. afternoon) hours.
Three separate, daily, visible images (9-11 December 2017) are provided showing the areal extent of the snow, and how the snow diminishes, due to solar heating, throughout the following days. It is important to note, that for 9 December 2017, the snowstorm just passed through the area hours before the satellite image was taken.
9 December 2017 @ 1906Z
10 December 2017 @ 1843Z
11 December 2017 @ 1826Z
For more information on the December snowstorm, click the flowing NWS -Peachtree City, GA link.