On the eastern, arid side of the Andes, the plains of southern Argentina stretch from the mountains to the Atlantic coast. The landscape often appears dry and brown, interrupted bycolorful glacier-fed lakes, but a storm in early April 2026 blanketed swaths of the land in white. TheMODIS on NASA’sTerrasatellite captured this image of the snowy Patagonian Desert on the morning of April 3.
Early fall has been wetter than normal in southern Patagonia, said atmospheric scientistRené Garreaudof the Universidad de Chile, noting thatsatellite-based estimatesshowed above-average precipitation from late March through early April. Much of the region’s precipitation tends to fall on the western,windward sideof the Andes, he said. “But strong winds are capable of blowing some snow east into the Argentinian side, as beautifully reflected in the MODIS image.”
Snow clings to thehigher elevations, while valleys draining the large glacial lakes are bare. In this detailed Landsat image, a stark snow line appears along the outlet of Lago Argentino. Also note the color of the water. Lago Argentino and other nearby lakes contain an abundance of fine sediment, orglacial flour, pulverized by southern Patagonia’splentiful glaciers. Thissuspended sedimentmakes the lakes appear milky blue or turquoise.
Though snow was widespread across the desert after the early-season storm, the wintry splendor was fleeting. A satellite view from theafternoonof April 4 showed that snow had melted from all but the highest mountain areas.
NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using MODIS data from NASAEOSDIS LANCEandGIBS/Worldview, and Landsat data from theU.S. Geological Survey. Story by Lindsey Doermann.
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AntarcticGlaciers.orgSouthern Annual Mode: Southern Westerly Winds in Patagonia. Accessed April 8, 2026.
NASA Earth ObservatoryLos Glaciares National Park, Argentina. Accessed April 8, 2026.
NASA Earth ObservatoryHow Glaciers Turn Lakes Turquoise. Accessed April 8, 2026.
NASA Earth ObservatoryGlacial Lakes of Patagonia. Accessed April 8, 2026.
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