For up-to-date snow cover, please use MODIS Snow Cover (Normalized Difference Snow Index).

The MODIS Snow Cover layer shows the percent of snow cover over land and inland water bodies. Snow is precipitation that forms from water vapor in the atmosphere where temperatures are below 0° Celsius. If the ground temperature is also below freezing, snow will accumulate on the ground as bright, white layer of snowpack. Snow cover reflects sunlight back into the atmosphere, helping to cool the Earth’s surface. Snowmelt is used for drinking water, water for crop irrigation, and can moisturize soil to reduce the risk of wildfire in many areas in the world. When snow melts in the spring, too much snow can cause springtime flooding.

The MODIS Snow Cover product is available from both the Terra (MOD10) and Aqua (MYD10) satellites. The sensor and imagery resolution is 500 m, and the temporal resolution is daily.

References: NSIDC - MYD10_L2; NASA Earth Observations - Snow Cover