Sierra Nevada Storm Leaves Behind Dramatic Wave Clouds, NASA Image Show

A powerful winter storm that swept through California earlier this month has blanketed the Sierra Nevada in one of its snowiest five-day stretches in decades, with NASA satellite imagery capturing dramatic cloud formations trailing the system. 

On February 24, 2026, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured a true-color image of the spectacular cloud formations over Nevada. 

Storm System Creates Wave-Like Cloud

Describing the clouds seen in the image, NASA explained that they appear to be a type of wave cloud. This cloud formation is created by turbulence when air blows over a towering object, such as a mountain. 

The Sierra Nevada range is located west of the image and the prevailing wind appears to be generally westward when the image was taken, according to NASA. 

These types of clouds usually form when a mass of air is forced upward, NASA explained. The air cools as it climbs and, if there is adequate moisture in the air, the water condenses to form clouds. 

Once the air passes over the obstacle, it sinks again, warming as it descends and prevents clouds from forming. 

However, just like ripples are formed in water, the initial disturbance results in a propagating wave that spreads, causing air to rise up and fall again until the wave dissipates. This ultimately leads to long bands of clouds that mark the crests of waves, with cloud-free spaces between them looking like the troughs of waves. 

Historic Winter Storm

An atmospheric river triggered a strong winter storm in the Sierra Nevada mountains, bringing heavy snowfall across the Sierra and signaling a shift from an unusually dry winter period. 

The heavy snowfall even led to the temporary closure of Yosemite National Park, NASA said. 

The Northern Sierra snowpack reached 53% of its typical snow level on February 22, 2026, while the Central Sierra reached 73%, and the Southern Sierra reported 98% of its normal snowpack, according to NASA. 

The total snowfall from February 16 to 20, 2026, marked the third-highest five-day snowfall on record since 1970, the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab noted. 

The heavy snowfall helped stabilize Sierra’s snowpack conditions, which had been declining earlier this season. It arrived at a crucial point in California’s water year as a dry January had reduced snowpack levels.  

Referred to as California’s “frozen reservoir,” the Sierra snowpack supplies roughly 30% of the state’s water needs. Snowpack stores winter precipitation and releases it gradually, reducing flood risk and supporting water supplies during arid seasons.