September 26, 2022 - Snow and Burn Scars in the Sierra Nevada Mountains

Yosemite
Tweet
Share

A strong storm system passing through Central California brought early
snowfall to the Sierra Nevada Mountains in mid-September 2022. Clouds
hung over the region between September 18 and 21, bringing
precipitation in the form of rain to the valleys and dropping a light
coating of snow across much of the high country.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board
NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a false-color image of a section of the
Sierra Nevada Mountains topped with fresh snowfall on September 22.
Patches of snow covers the ridges between Lake Tahoe (north) and south
of Mono Lake (south). Large burn scars (areas of damage left behind
after a fire) are also visible west of Lake Tahoe and smaller burn
scars are scattered throughout the mountains.

In this type of false-color image, visible and infrared light (MODIS
bands 7,2,1) are combined to help highlight certain features, such as
snow or burn scars. Vegetation appears bright green, water looks deep
blue, snow and ice appear bright electric blue, cloud may appear white
or, if they are cold and contain ice crystals, may carry a tint of
bright electric blue, and open land can be colored various shades of
tan. Burn scars may vary in color, ranging from brick red to tan to
black, depending on completeness and heat of burn, soil conditions, and
how long ago the fire occurred.

The two largest burn scars in this image were caused by the Mosquito
Fire and the Caldor Fire. The Caldor Fire burned 221,835 acres in the
Eldorado National Forest and other portions of the Sierra Nevada in
California between August 14, 2021, and October 21, 2021. It heavily
damaged the town of Grizzly Flats, in El Dorado County, including
destroying about 500 structures in that location. In total, the fire
destroyed more than 1,000 buildings and damaged at least 81 more. The
massive rectangular burn scar sits southwest of Lake Tahoe.

The Mosquito Fire ignited September 6, 2022, and as of September 25 is
still an active fire that is burning east of Foresthill, California,
predominantly on the Tahoe and Eldorado National Forest in Placer and
El Dorado Counties. Numerous areas and communities were under
evacuation orders and warnings until September 21, when all orders were
lifted. Cooler weather and precipitation between September 18 and 21
not only dropped snow in the high country, but also helped firefighting
efforts, at least temporarily. As of September 25, the Mosquito Fire
has burned 76,781 acres. The funnel-shaped burn scar sits in green
forests northwest of Lake Tahoe.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 9/22/2022
Resolutions: 1km (238.4 KB), 500m (607.9 KB), 250m (343.2
KB)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-09-26

--- up 30 weeks, 21 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)