January 2008: Iran

One imagines the Middle East as a desert of scorching temperatures. However, on Jan. 8, 2008, a powerful blizzard raged across Iran, bringing frigid winds and an abundance of snow. Reports from that time said temperatures reached as low as minus 11 degrees Fahrenheit and as many as 28 people were killed. Here we see two images from the MODIS team on board the Terra satellite. The lower image shows the natural cloud cover from space. However, it is the top false-color image that shows the unusual snow cover. This image shows clouds as white to orange, and the frozen water as red.