Low Cloud Layer Blankets the Pacific Northwest in New Satellite Imagery

A blanket of low-lying clouds settled over parts of the Pacific Northwest, giving western Washington and Oregon an autumnal look in imagery highlighted by NASA's Earth Observatory.

According to the description accompanying the image, the cloud layer sat close to the ground across much of the lowland areas in the two states, while mountainous terrain near the coast remained tall enough to rise above the cloud cover, creating a striking visual contrast between the obscured valleys and the exposed peaks.

Low cloud layers of this kind are common in the Pacific Northwest during the transition into autumn, when cooling temperatures and moisture off the Pacific Ocean frequently combine to produce marine-layer cloud decks that can blanket coastal and inland lowlands for extended periods, sometimes lingering for much of the day before clearing.

NASA's Earth Observatory regularly publishes satellite imagery documenting weather and atmospheric phenomena, geological formations, and environmental changes around the globe, drawing on data from a range of the agency's Earth-observing satellites. The imagery is intended to give both scientists and the public a broader view of atmospheric and environmental conditions that are difficult to observe from the ground.

The Earth Observatory description did not specify the exact date the image was captured or which satellite instrument produced it, nor did it note any specific weather system responsible for the cloud layer's extent that day.