Last month's fractional snow coverage

This image shows the average global snow coverage during the past month. For example, 50% snow cover indicates that of all the times the satellite passed over a certain area, it detected snow half of the time. The snow coverage image was created using data from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I). This is one of the instruments on a Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellite.


Credit: SSM/I instrument, Defense Meteorological Satellite Program. Image copyright Rice University.

For more info: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/dmsp/dmsp.html