Earth  ID: 10897

Relive Snowmageddon

Story by Adam P Voiland | Visualizations by Alex Kekesi Released on January 26, 2012
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Atmospheric models recreate the massive weather system that fueled one of 2010's most ferocious blizzards.
Satellites provide dramatic views of clouds, but in order to understand the processes that underlie how clouds form and evolve, scientists turn to complex computer models that simulate Earth's atmosphere. By feeding a range of ground, aircraft and satellite data into Goddard's Earth Observing System Model (GEOS-5), research meteorologists can see how closely the mathematical equations used to simulate atmospheric dynamics match reality. Such models are by no means perfect, but they have improved tremendously in recent years. The visualizations below, based on GEOS-5 model runs from February 2010, show how well the model reproduced the massive blizzard known as "Snowmageddon." In the visualization, watch Snowmageddon's sprawling, comma-shaped cloud system—complete with a tail that reaches all the way to the Caribbean—as it churns up the Eastern Seaboard dumping three feet of snow in some areas.
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Notice the distinctive comma-shaped cloud pattern, a common feature of blizzards, that's visible throughout the visualization.
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As Snowmageddon dumped large amounts of snow to the north, the same model run shows the storm system's tail passing over Florida and Cuba.
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A satellite image from Feb. 6, the day after Snowmageddon dropped snow over the Northeast, shows the blizzard from above.
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While there are subtle differences, the GEOS-5 model simulation of the same moment in time looks remarkably similar.

Story Credits

Lead Visualizer/Animator:
Alex Kekesi (Global Science and Technology, Inc.)

Narrator:
Ryan Fitzgibbons (USRA)

Producer:
Kayvon Sharghi (USRA)

Lead Scientist:
William Putman (NASA/GSFC)

Lead Writer:
Adam P Voiland (Wyle Information Systems)

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Short URL to share this page:
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10897

Keywords:
DLESE >> Narrated
SVS >> App
NASA Science >> Earth