Snow cover across parts of Montana
5-minute CONUS Sector GOES-19 (GOES-East) Day Snow-Fog RGB images (above) displayed the signature of snow cover (brighter shades of red) across parts of Montana on 13 October 2026. This was remnant snow cover that fell 2 days earlier, accumulating to depths as high as 8-9 inches — and snow depths on the morning of 13 October were generally in the 4-8 inch range at lower elevations. This remnant snow cover had the effect of keeping surface air temperatures several degrees cooler compared to nearby areas of bare ground.
Another satellite product that is useful for highlighting snow cover is the Day Cloud Phase Distinction RGB (below) — which depicts snow cover as brighter shades of green. In both RGB image types, low stratus and fog appear as pale shades of white.