The east coast is currently in the midst of one the worst snowstorms in its history. The blizzard is charted to be the second biggest snow related event in New York City's history clocking it at a whopping snow fall of 26.8 inches by midnight last January 23, 2016. There have been thirteen weather related casualties in Arkansas, North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia. Meanwhile one person died in Maryland and three in New York from shoveling snow.
There is no denying the devastating effects of the snowstorm. However nowhere else can the girth of the ordeal viewed best that in space. Thankfully, both astronaut Scott Kelly and NASA has released images of the massive Winter Storm Jonas.
Last Saturday, Kelly tweeted an image of what is now being called "thundersnow" from the International Space Station.
"Rare #thundersnow visible from @Space_Station in #blizzard2016! #Snowzilla #snowmaggedon2016 #YearInSpace" read the astronaut's tweet.
Likewise, NASA updated their official Facebook page on the same day with a real time visualization of the cloud flow of the snowstorm last Sunday saying:
"Our supercomputers have crunched the data to show the cloud flow of #Blizzard2016 thru Sunday. Check it out: http://go.nasa.gov/1PthpHy The near-real-time operational GEOS-5 atmospheric data assimilation system ingests more than 5 million observations every six hours producing comprehensive analyses and forecasts of the atmosphere each day at 25-km global resolution."
Since the storm, Kelly has shared images of its aftermath. The image shows not only clearer skies but also the sun finally shinning throughout the Northeast. The picture is a far cry from the his update the day before.
Most affected states are already in the process of cleaning up after the snowstorm. In Washington, the city is piling the snow into the parking lot of RFK stadium. According to the local government, a machine would be brought in to melt the snow. In New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio urges people to stay off the roads if possible.
View images here.
