The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite called GOES-11 captured an image of the famous “Pineapple Express” at 1800 UTC (1 p.m. EST) on December, 19, 2010. Occasionally in the winter, a large jet stream forms across the mid-Pacific, carrying a continuous flow of moisture from the vicinity of Hawaii to California, bringing heavy rain and snow to the Sierra-Nevada for several days. This flow has been dubbed “The Pineapple Express.” GOES satellites are managed by NOAA and images and animations from the GOES satellites are created by the NASA GOES Project at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

Photo Credit: NASA GOES Project, Dennis Chesters
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD