![\"GOES-16](\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/images\/2019\/12\/191221_goes16_visible_Southern_Hemisphere_solstice_anim.gif\")
<\/a>GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 \u00b5m)<\/em> images [click to play animation | MP4<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/div>GOES-16 (GOES-East)<\/em> “Red” Visible (0.64 \u00b5m) images (above)<\/strong><\/em> showed that most of Antarctica experienced 24 hours of full solar illumination during the Southern Hemisphere’s Summer Solstice on 21 December 2019. Through breaks in the cloud cover, a few bright areas of sun glint were also evident, moving from west to east, due to the reflection of sunlight off ice-free water.<\/p>\n In spite of receiving 24 hours of sunlight, interior areas of the continent remained quite cold — due to high elevation and deep snow cover. For example, surface air temperatures at station 8927<\/strong><\/a> near the center of Antarctica remained within the -25 to -35\u00baF range on 21 December (source<\/strong><\/a>).<\/p>\n Surface air temperatures (\u00baF) at automatic weather stations across Antarctica [click to enlarge]<\/p><\/div>In the Northern Hemisphere, GOES-17 (GOES-West)<\/em> Visible images (below)<\/strong><\/em> revealed a few hours of illumination of the southern summits of Denali and nearby portions of the Alaska Range. Note the presence of much colder surface air temperatures (-20s and -30s F) north of the Alaska Range.<\/p>\n GOES-17 “Red” Visible (0.64 \u00b5m)<\/em> images [click to play animation | MP4<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/div>Farther to the north across Interior Alaska, some locations reported minimum air temperatures<\/strong><\/a> in the -40s to -50s F. A Suomi NPP VIIRS Infrared image (below)<\/strong><\/em> showed surface brightness temperatures as cold as -50\u00baC or -58\u00baF (brighter yellow enhancement)<\/em> in the Yukon Flats area around Fort Yukon (PFYU).<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>