Major Blizzard Visible from Space

The winter storm that lashed the Midwest and Northeast over the last couple of days and has left a blanket of snow in its wake also brought with it sub-zero, bone-chilling winds that are keeping the snow fresh and frozen. The storm's huge expanse across nearly two-thirds of the country was clearly visible in satellite imagery.

The blizzard — which produced white-out conditions with gusts of winds reaching greater than 39 mph (63 km/h) in some regions — brewed overnight as two weather systems, one bringing cold air from Canada and the other moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, collided over the eastern portions of the country yesterday. [ The Snowiest Places on Earth ]

"One storm was moving from the west to east with some limited moisture and atmospheric energy and as that storm was moving across the country, it was basically transferring energy to a brand new storm that has taken over and has been strengthening overnight," Chris Vaccaro, a spokesman for the National Weather Service, told LiveScience. 

The National Weather Service commonly uses satellite imagery to track the path and extent of storms and to collect atmospheric data that they use to produce storm forecasts. Vaccaro said that, while imagery from this storm is impressive, it is not uncommon to see storms this large at this time of the year.

"It is a disruptive storm on the roads and airports, but we are not necessarily seeing a crippling snowstorm," Vaccaro said, comparing it to a larger blizzard that hit the Northeast in February 2013 and dumped between 2 to 3 feet (0.5 to 1 meter) of snow on parts of New England. 

Most accumulation readings for this week's storm have hovered below 12 inches (30 centimeters) across the country this morning, though parts of coastal Massachusetts experienced maritime effects that brought more moisture and dumped closer to 24 inches (60 cm) of powder.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

The National Weather Service will continue analyzing National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite imagery throughout the rest of the day today to track the extent of snow cover, which Vaccaro said should be made easier as clouds part and the storm travels northeastward into the Canadian Maritimes. 

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

This story was update to correct the source of the satellite imagery, which was NOAA.

Follow Laura Poppick on  Twitter. Follow us ,  Facebook  & . Original article on LiveScience.

• In Images: Extreme Weather Around the World
• Fishy Rain to Fire Whirlwinds: The World's Weirdest Weather
• The 10 Worst Blizzards in US History