Space photos of the spring nor'easter will bring out your inner weather nerd
For most people, a snow day calls to mind visions of blowing snow, hot chocolate, and a day off from school, but weather nerds tend to look at things a little differently.
Satellite loops, showing off what a storm's moisture, atmospheric pressure, and winds look like from space are where it's at for the weather geeks among us.
The most recent nor'easter hitting the East Coast on Wednesday is particularly beautiful when viewed from space, especially in the images taken by GOES-16, a brand new weather satellite known for its gorgeous photos.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
"Can I adopt GOES-16?" Mashable Science Editor and all around weather nerd Andrew Freedman said in Slack.
Remarkably, this is the fourth nor'easter to hit in just three weeks, and each of the storms has been photogenic in its own way.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), GOES-16 is able to take a photo of the full Earth once every 15 minutes and a photo of the continental United States every five minutes.
At the moment, GOES-16 is snapping photos of the Northeast at the rapid rate of once every 60 seconds, allowing scientists to monitor small changes in the storm's path and development.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Some satellite photos of the most recent nor'easter are particularly impressive for those who are well-versed in the goings-on in our atmosphere.
"Yes, there is a mesoscale floater on this bad boy," weather forecaster John Homenuk said in a post on Twitter. "And yes, it is gorgeous. Look at the convection!"
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Scientists and forecasters use photos like the ones taken by the GOES satellites and others to help figure out how a storm is going to evolve.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
They also utilize ground-based measurements and radar data to monitor and forecast the storm.
Miriam Kramer worked as a staff writer for Space.com for about 2.5 years before joining Mashable to cover all things outer space. She took a ride in weightlessness on a zero-gravity flight and watched rockets launch to space from places around the United States. Miriam received her Master's degree in science, health and environmental reporting from New York University in 2012, and she originally hails from Knoxville, Tennessee. Follow Miriam on Twitter at @mirikramer.
