Rain-on-Snow Frequency Maps for Alaska, 1988-2023 at 6-km Resolution

Two satellite-based passive microwave radiometer records, AMSR-E/2 and SSMI/S, provide maps of rain-on-snow events across Alaska from 1988 to 2023. The data are summations of the number of days with ROS events per pixel at 6-km spatial resolution for individual cold season months or per 5-month water year. NASA generated this dataset, which was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling changes in winter hydrology based on rain-on-snow event frequency maps.
• Analyzing spatial distribution of extreme winter weather events across Alaska.
• Validating climate model outputs using satellite-derived snow wetness and isothermal state records.
• Assessing ecological and infrastructure risks from winter rainfall events on snowpack.

Strengths

• Combines observations from two satellite sensor families, AMSR-E/2 (2002-2023) and SSMI/S (1988-2020), providing a long-term record.
• Provides data at a 6-km spatial resolution for detailed regional analysis.
• Covers a 35-year temporal range for analyzing trends in cold season events.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The dataset combines two separate sensor records with differences in overpass time and observation geometry.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Observations from space-borne passive microwave radiometers (AMSR-E/2 and SSMI/S).

Time Range

1988 to 2023

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 19:47:31.175511; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Alaska