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DescriptionSouth Island blizzard 2003.jpg	This satellite image shows the aftermath of a severe blizzard that hit the South Island of New Zealand in July 2003. Higher regions are draped in snow, clearly delineating the escarpment northwest of the Southern Alps, formed by the 600 km (370 mi) long Alpine Fault.
Date	11 July 2003
Source	NASA's Earth Observatory
Author	Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
Permission (Reusing this file)	Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse This file is in the public domain in the United States because it was solely created by NASA. NASA copyright policy states that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted". (See Template:PD-USGov, NASA copyright policy page or JPL Image Use Policy.) Warnings: Use of NASA logos, insignia and emblems is restricted per U.S. law 14 CFR 1221. The NASA website hosts a large number of images from the Soviet/Russian space agency, and other non-American space agencies. These are not necessarily in the public domain. Materials based on Hubble Space Telescope data may be copyrighted if they are not explicitly produced by the STScI.[1] See also {{PD-Hubble}} and {{Cc-Hubble}}. The SOHO (ESA & NASA) joint project implies that all materials created by its probe are copyrighted and require permission for commercial non-educational use. [2] Images featured on the Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) web site may be copyrighted. [3] The National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) site has been known to host copyrighted content. Its photo gallery FAQ states that all of the images in the photo gallery are in the public domain "Unless otherwise noted."

Blizzard in New Zealand

As the clouds broke over South Island, New Zealand, on July 11, 2003, clear skies revealed the blanket of snow that remained from what is being reported as the worst blizzard to hit the country in 50 years. The bright white snow contrasts sharply with the deep green vegetation of the coastal areas as well as with the bright blue, glacier-fed lakes scattered across the Southern Alps, which run diagonally across the island. The blizzard stranded hundreds of motorists and isolated more than 400 skiers at a mountain resort. In places, the storm brought ice and freezing rain, making roads especially treacherous and bringing down trees and power lines.

This image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS’ maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters.

Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC.

SOURCE: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/shownh.php3?img_id=10797^{[dead link]}

”The purpose of NASA's Earth Observatory is to provide a freely-accessible publication on the Internet where the public can obtain new satellite imagery and scientific information about our home planet. The focus is on Earth's climate and environmental change. In particular, we hope our site is useful to public media and educators. Any and all materials published on the Earth Observatory are freely available for re-publication or re-use, except where copyright is indicated. We ask that NASA's Earth Observatory be given credit for its original materials.”

Image metadata (source):

2003/192 - 07/11 at 22 :35 UTC
South Island, New Zealand
Satellite: Terra

projection: Sinusoidal
image center lon: +170.5
image center lat: -44
UL lon: +166.6760
UL lat: -40.1783
UR lon: +174.3269
UR lat: -40.1783
LR lon: +174.8548
LR lat: -47.8225
LL lon: +166.1519
LL lat: -47.8225
UL easting (km): -324.7500
UL northing (km): -4467.7500
ellipsoid: Sphere
Earth radius (km): 6371.007181

	This file is in the public domain in the United States because it was solely created by NASA. NASA copyright policy states that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted". (See Template:PD-USGov, NASA copyright policy page or JPL Image Use Policy.)
	Warnings: Use of NASA logos, insignia and emblems is restricted per U.S. law 14 CFR 1221. The NASA website hosts a large number of images from the Soviet/Russian space agency, and other non-American space agencies. These are not necessarily in the public domain. Materials based on Hubble Space Telescope data may be copyrighted if they are not explicitly produced by the STScI.[4] See also {{PD-Hubble}} and {{Cc-Hubble}}. The SOHO (ESA & NASA) joint project implies that all materials created by its probe are copyrighted and require permission for commercial non-educational use. [5] Images featured on the Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) web site may be copyrighted. [6] The National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) site has been known to host copyrighted content. Its photo gallery FAQ states that all of the images in the photo gallery are in the public domain "Unless otherwise noted."