English: After a warm start to the New Year, the first substantial snow of 2023 fell across Europe’s iconic mountain range between January 8 and 9. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a false-color image of the western section of the Alps laden with fresh snow on January 10 (top). The lower Terra MODIS images shows the same area just three days earlier, on January 7. At that time, snow topped only the highest elevations while lower slopes and valleys remain bare.

In this type of false-color image, MODIS bands 7,2,1 are used to help differentiate snow from cloud and surrounding vegetation. Here, snow appears bright electric blue, vegetation is green, bare ground looks tan, and water shows up as deep blue or black. Most cloud will look white, except for high, cold cloud that contains ice crystals, which may be tinted with light electric blue.

Widespread high temperatures across the Alpine countries are being blamed for a lack of snow. According to various media reports, on New Years Eve overnight lows in France were measured at 11˚C (51.8˚F)—the warmest on record for that date since record-keeping began n 1947. Meanwhile, in Delemont, Switzerland, the early morning hours on January 1 brought temperatures of 19.3˚C (66.7˚F), setting a January record for the north side of the Alps.

The high temperatures, along with rain in some areas, meant so little snow that lower-elevation ski resorts have been unable to open, and even made snow-making at the warmer locations impossible. The lack of snow has even forced the cancellation of several World Cup ski competitions held in early January. While a single snow event doesn’t mean a white winter is now secure, the return of a little bit of winter to the Alps is a much-welcomed event.