Friday Eye Candy: A Satellite View of the Country's Winter Blanket

Tim Wallace shares a three-year series of satellite images showing the snow cover blanketing the 48 contiguous states of the Union.

Two trends are obvious over the past three years. First is the scant snowfall on the West Coast, where even Washington state has missed out on winter wonderland status. Meanwhile on the East Coast and the Midwest, the blanket drifts farther south and seems, well, more bountiful.

And in just in case you're looking for motivation for an attitude change about the weather, here's Elizabeth Peavey writing this week about her motivation to get outside, even in the depths of winter (hat tip to Sarah Goodyear for sharing this article):

"Count your sunrises and moonsets. Look at the sky-blue pink, the slate and teal in what most perceive as white snow. Hear the chuck-chuck of the winter robin, the ploop of the diving bufflehead. Feel that Artic air tear into and clean your lungs. These mornings have a number, you know. They won’t go on forever. Especially if you — yes, you in the orange hat and flashing headlamp — don’t watch your step. It doesn’t matter if you’re a cityslicker or country bumpkin, or any combination thereof, Nature trumps all."