Snow in Iraq Baghdad had the novelty of its first snowfall in
approximately 100 years on January 11, 2008. Snow still covered
the desert when the MODIS flying on NASA's Terra satellite
captured this image on the morning of January 12, 2008. Though
the snow melted as it hit the ground in Baghdad, it lingered in
the mountains in the north and east. The image shows Iran and
Iraq in infrared and visible light. This combination helps
distinguish between cloud and snow, since the snow is turquoise,
and the clouds are white. The desert landscape is predominately
tan and brown with a web of brown-green vegetation lining the
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The cement-colored city of Baghdad
is near the bottom edge of the image. The red dot marks the
location of a fire or perhaps a gas flare.