Dust Storm on the Arabian Peninsula

A thick veil of dust spanned hundreds of kilometers over parts of the Arabian Peninsula and the Persian Gulf on April 5, 2013. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this natural-color image the same day.

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Ireland and Britain from space on Saturday, 6 April 2013

A view of Ireland and Britain from space at 1pm on Saturday, 6 April 2013. Image NASA/MODIS

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Ireland and Britain from space on Wednesday, 3 April 2013

A view of Ireland and Britain from space at 1pm on Wednesday, 3 April 2013. Image NASA/MODIS

Click on the image to enlarge.

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Extensive Ice Fractures occurs in the Beaufort Sea

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite captured this view of extensive sea-ice fracturing off the northern coast of Alaska. The event began in late-January and spread west toward Banks Island throughout February and March 2013.

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Tropical Storm Tim winds down

Tropical Storm Tim formed over the Coral Sea on March 13, 2013, and remained off the coast of northeastern Australia for the next four days. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image of Tim on March 17. Although lacking a distinct eye, Tim still had the spiral shape characteristic of strong storms.

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WORLD FROM SPACE - Clouds over the Southern Indian Ocean

Marine stratocumulus clouds stretched across the southern Indian Ocean in early March 2013. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this natural-color image on March 11, as a striking band of clouds ran roughly northwest to southeast over the open ocean.

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China and Mongolia hit by massive dust storm

The dust that arose along the China-Mongolia border on March 8, 2013, remained suspended the following day. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image on March 9. The dust had continued traveling toward the southeast, and the camel-colored plume extended several hundred kilometers into eastern China.

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WORLD FROM SPACE - Snowcover in the Northeast United States

Snow cover sprawled across the northeastern United States in early March 2013. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image on March 9. Snow cover stretched from West Virginia northward into Canada, and from the western shore of Lake Ontario eastward to the Atlantic Ocean.

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WORLD FROM SPACE - Dust over the Persian Gulf

Dust blew over the Persian Gulf on Wednesday, 6 March, 2013. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this natural-color image on March 6, 2013. It shows a dust plume extending from eastern Saudi Arabia northward past the United Arab Emirates and over the ocean.

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FEATURE - Storms Come in Many Forms

Storms get all sorts of names. Weather forecasters use terms like snowstorms, hailstorms, blizzards, low-pressure systems, hurricanes, derechos, and twisters. Individual tropical storms have long been named by the U.S. National Hurricane Center and the World Meteorological Organization; more recently, media outlets have started naming winter storms. 

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Snow in central Europe - 5 March 2013

Snow in central Europe. Image NASA/MODIS

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WORLD FROM SPACE - Dust Storm in Turkmenistan

A dust storm blew through Turkmenistan at the end of February 2013. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this image on February 28. The dust formed an arc, blowing first to the west then curving toward the north.

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Another Massive Snowstorm Strikes Western United States

Following on the heels of another storm, heavy snow fell on Colorado and neighboring states on February 24, 2013. On February 25, the Denver/Boulder Forecast Office of the National Weather Service reported preliminary snow totals from the area, including 27.2 inches (69.1 centimeters) west of Denver, and blizzard conditions east of the city. Like the previous storm, this one continued moving eastward.

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Northeastern USA Coastline in Sunglint

Looking out at the Earth’s surface from the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts frequently observe sunglint highlighting both ocean and inland water surfaces. The Atlantic Ocean—including Cape Cod Bay and Buzzards Bay, along the coastlines of Massachusetts and Rhode Island—has a burnished, mirror-like appearance in this image. This is due to sunlight reflected off the water surface back towards the astronaut-photographer. The peak reflection point is towards the right side of the image, lending the waters of Long Island Sound and the upper Massachusetts coastline an even brighter appearance.

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WORLD FROM SPACE - Cyclone Haruna

Haruna formed as a tropical storm over the southern Indian Ocean on February 19, 2013, and strengthened into a cyclone the next day. 

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Nighttime View of Snow across the United States

Early on the morning of February 22, 2013, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite captured this nighttime view of heavy snow over the United States. 

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Dust Storm hits Mexico and New Mexico

On February 20, 2013, dust plumes arose in northern Mexico and southern New Mexico. The plumes blew toward the northeast, some of them mingling with clouds north of New Mexico’s White Sands National Monument. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this natural-color image the same day.

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Large Bushfires Range in Victoria, Australia

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image showing large bush fires burning in southwestern Victoria on February 18, 2013. 

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WORLD FROM SPACE - Condensation Trails over Spain and Portugal

The condensation trails that form behind high-altitude aircraft, or contrails, are one of the most visible signs of the human impact on the atmosphere. On February 15, 2013, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this view of numerous contrails over Portugal and Spain.

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WORLD FROM SPACE - Sea Ice In Canada’s Gulf of St. Lawrence

Every year, Arctic sea ice shrinks and grows, reaching its minimum in September and its maximum in February or March. As sea ice nears its maximum, it often begins to form in Canada’s Gulf of St. Lawrence. That's likely what was happening when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this natural-color image on February 11, 2013.

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