Rare snow in the Atacama desert, Chile

New image shows an extremely rare snowfall on South America’s Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth. The Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite took the picture on July 7, 2011. According to BBC News, a cold front dumped up to 31.5 inches (80 centimeters) of snow on the desert.

The image provides a photo-like, natural color view of the snow. A few clouds hang over the white desert, marring the view slightly.

Bottom line: Terra satellite imagery shows a rare snow in the Atacama desert of Chile, taken on July 7, 2011 by the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS).

Via NASA Earth Observatory

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