SYRACUSE -- High pressure dominated Central New York on Wednesday, leading to stunning satellite images. In the calm before the storm, skies were crystal clear allowing for a near perfect view from outer space. See for yourself in the two images included with this story.
Amazing details are shown using NOAA’s MODIS satellites. From the snowpack covering the ground, to frozen-over Finger Lakes, to even icebergs floating around Lake Ontario the clarity is almost scary. Developed areas like metro Syracuse show up as white due to the snow, while forested areas like the Tug Hill and southeastern hills of CNY as black from the canopy of trees blocking the view. You can take a look anytime at the NOAA Coast Watch website here. The images are much better to view on a clear day versus when clouds are in control. I would recommend checking them out while a lake effect snow event is in progress.
Sure you can see even higher resolution maps on search engines such as Google and Bing, but these images are not real time. Satellite imagery of this detail is only taken a few times per day across the country and only for certain locations and reasons. Tracking the Lake Ontario ice cover is what brings the eyes of this technology to our area.
For more on the weather forecast click here. In addition, you can become Facebook friends with me here.
