04 April 2011
Satellite image of snow in Lebanon
The image, acquired by NASA’s Terra satellite, shows snow, covering the two magnificent mountain ranges of Lebanon, known, respectively, as Lebanon Mountains and Anti-Lebanon Mountains.
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
On 17 March 2011, NASA’s Terra satellite obtained an exquisite image of the eastern Mediterranean Sea, showing snow, covering Lebanon’s two magnificent mountain ranges, respectively known as Lebanon Mountains (Jebel Liban) and Anti-Lebanon Mountains (Jabal ash Sharqi). (Jebel or jabal mean “mountain” in Arabic.)
Most of the Lebanese land is a mountainous terrain, except for the narrow coastline and the Beqaa Valley. In the Lebanese highlands, during winter, temperatures usually drop below freezing, with frequent, sometimes heavy snow.
In Terra’s image, Lebanon’s mountain ranges are covered in fresh snow. According to local news, a late-winter storm coated the mountains, with up to a meter of snow, a few days before Terra’s image was taken. In Lebanon, ski resorts are open about three months each year. In the winter of 2010-2011, ski resorts opened in mid-December, and were expected to remain open till late March or early April.
References
Snow in Lebanon
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=49849
Wikipedia
Aymen Mohamed Ibrahem
Senior Astronomy Specialist