                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2024 January 21
      A telephone poll is shown surrounded by snow. In the background,
    another telephone poll is visible, as are some distant trees. Please
             see the explanation for more detailed information.

                     The Upper Michigan Blizzard of 1938
             Image Credit: Bill Brinkman; Courtesy: Paula Rocco

   Explanation: Yes, but can your blizzard do this? In the Upper Peninsula
   of Michigan's Storm of the Century in 1938, some snow drifts reached
   the level of utility poles. Nearly a meter of new and unexpected snow
   fell over two days in a storm that started 86 years ago this week. As
   snow fell and gale-force winds piled snow to surreal heights, many
   roads became not only impassable but unplowable; people became
   stranded, cars, school buses and a train became mired, and even a
   dangerous fire raged. Two people were killed and some students were
   forced to spend several consecutive days at school. The featured image
   was taken by a local resident soon after the storm. Although all of
   this snow eventually melted, repeated snow storms like this help build
   lasting glaciers in snowy regions of our planet Earth.

                  Tomorrow's picture: moon versus mountain
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Ryan Smallcomb; Specific rights apply.
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                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

