Over the years, astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory have snapped spectacular photographs of Earth’s snow and ice in both hemispheres.
Glaciers on these heavenly mountains are a source of freshwater for farmers in Central Asia.
Published Dec 29, 2022
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Land and water were decorated with snow and ice when astronauts looked down on the region in February 2022.
Published Dec 30, 2022
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Four of the range’s prominent volcanoes—Rainier, St. Helens, Adams, and Hood—were on full display in February 2022.
Published Dec 25, 2022
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Beneath a layer of snow and ice, exceptionally hot fluids rise from the floor of Yellowstone Lake.
Published Dec 27, 2022
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Canada’s second-most populous city occupies the largest of hundreds of islands within the Hochelaga Archipelago.
Published Dec 24, 2022
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This deep lake on the southern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau freezes over during winter, curbing the large changes in lake level observed during other seasons.
Published Dec 23, 2022
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Snow Day in Delmarva
The Mid-Atlantic coast occasionally sees snow, but rain has become increasingly common over time.
Published Dec 21, 2022
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New Zealand’s Southern Alps rise high above the landscape and influence the weather around them.
Published Feb 26, 2022
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With an average elevation of 4500 meters above sea level, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is one of Earth’s highest geographic features.
Published Jan 23, 2022
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After a rainy autumn, winter weather arrived in the Pacific Northwest.
Published Jan 7, 2022
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Snow cover highlights the details of this railroad hub and city at the south end of the Ural Mountains.
Published Apr 18, 2021
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The winter scene includes icy shorelines and frozen landscapes around Hudson Bay under thin, wrinkled clouds.
Published Dec 30, 2019
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The Grand Canyon is one of the best known natural wonders on Earth, but astronauts see very different patterns compared with the iconic ground-based views.
Published Mar 10, 2019
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Taken near the northernmost extent of the space station’s orbit, this photograph shows ice growth in the midst of freezing season near James Bay.
US winter storm in pictures
The storm, which extends more than 2,000 miles (3,200km) from Texas to Quebec, is affecting some 135 million people on the busiest travel days of the year.
Image source, Getty Images
Severe weather alerts stretch from coast to coast and reach as far south as the US-Mexico border and Florida, the Sunshine State.
Image source, Stephen Chung / Alamy Stock Photo
The US National Weather Service (NWS) says more than 100 daily cold temperature records could be tied or broken in the next few days. Nashville, Tennessee, has already seen its temperatures fall below zero for the first time in 26 years.
High winds whip around 7.5 inches of new snow at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport as workers prepare a Sun Country Airlines plane for take off.
Image source, Star Tribune via Getty Images
Major airports elsewhere have cancelled thousands of flights as the storm intensifies. In anticipation of disruptions, airlines including United, Delta and American have offered to waive fees for travellers who wish to reschedule their flights.
Image source, Scott Olson/Getty Images
Some travellers were still arriving for flights at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago on Thursday – even with more warnings being issued.
Image source, KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP
Image source, Stephen Chung / Alamy Stock Photo
A storm warning in Chicago is in effect until 6:00 (CST) Saturday, with forecasts of several inches of snow and winds topping 50mph (80km/h)
Image source, Stephen Chung / Alamy Stock Photo
Image source, Stephen Chung / Alamy Stock Photo
Workers were already out in force clearing away as the snowfall began in a western suburb of Chicago.
In many states, people have been urged to stay indoors. As temperatures dropped, only a handful of commuters were waiting for an L train during the lighter-than-usual evening rush hour in the city.
Image source, Scott Olson
Conditions deteriorated further, into what is known as a “bomb cyclone” – a term given to an explosive storm that intensifies rapidly.
Image source, JASON CONNOLLY/AFP
In Colorado, temperatures dipped to a record-breaking low of -9F from 42F on Thursday.
Image source, JASON CONNOLLY/afp
The extreme winter driving conditions shut many roads, including the I-70, in Silverthorne, Colorado.
Image source, SETH HERALD/AFP
Snow falls on Broadway, a popular tourist street in Nashville, Tennessee.
Image source, SETH HERALD/AFP
The governors of Kentucky, North Carolina, West Virginia, Georgia and Oklahoma have also declared states of emergency, while Wisconsin declared an “energy emergency”.
All photos subject to copyright
