UAF GINA

10/14/2026

Prepping for winter in Alaska means putting on the snow tires, pulling out the puffy coats, checking the heating fuel and reviewing some handy wintertime satellite products like the Snowfall Rate Product (SFR) ❄️ Check out this blog by our friends at the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) that explains how SFR works and its Alaska specific applications!

Follow the link to read CIRA’s blog → https://rammb2.cira.colostate.edu/visit-blog/2026/09/24/the-snowfall-rate-sfr-product-over-alaska/
OR follow this link to look at recent AK-SFR Products from GINA → https://proto.gina.alaska.edu/distro/sfr/

10/13/2026

Satellite imagery is perfect for monitoring the onset of winter over land and sea (ice) 🧊! Take a look at this image which combines the 11.45 µm I5 and VIIRS Ice Surface Temperature products to look at weather conditions and the sea ice surface underneath.

The brightly colored areas are cloudless spots where satellites could get a clear look at the sea ice surface. Dark blue and magenta represent colder surface temperatures while light blue, green and yellow indicate warmer temperatures. We are excited to check back in on the VIIRS Ice Surface Temperature product as winter settles in!

Learn more about the VIIRS Ice Surface Temperature Product with this quick guide →https://gina.alaska.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/JPSSQuickguide_IST_v3.pdf

10/09/2026

In preparation for next week's VAWS webinar with the National Tsunami Warning Center’s (NTWC) Summer Ohlendorf, covering tsunami alerting in Alaska, we wanted to shoutout a new interactive tsunami hazard tool brought to you by the Alaska Earthquake Center. The Tsunami Map App, created with the help of GINA, brings evacuation information, hazard maps and other community-specific resources into a single online location.

🗺️ Follow this link to explore the app for yourself → https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/cc59c48ebfe147c28de5ef607fe2ca6d
❓ Learn more about the tool here → https://www.gi.alaska.edu/news/new-interactive-alaska-tsunami-hazard-map-helps-communities-prepare
🗓️ And to register for next week's VAWS webinar click here → https://uaf-accap.org/event/vaws-webinar-tsunami-alerting-in-alaska/

10/09/2026

The onset of winter brings with it snow, colder temperatures, longer nights and better aurora viewing! Over the last week Alaskans have been treated to some pretty spectacular aurora shows and with the help of the Day/Night Band (DNB) satellites were able to capture some of the excitement! Check out this animation from Oct. 4th - 9th showing the skies over Alaska, the bright white streaks that come and go throughout the clip are the passing aurora! Did you get a chance to see the lights last night?

Follow the link to see more daily product animations from GINA → https://proto.gina.alaska.edu/distro/clips/
Or click here to learn more about what the DayNight Band can do →https://gina.alaska.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Nighttime-Visible.pdf

10/08/2026

Interested in the critical role satellites play in enabling successful wildland fire detection, response, and monitoring? Tune in Tues, Oct. 13 @ 9am AKDT to a NOAA Science Seminar with Jonathan Chriest, a Predictive Services Meteorologist with the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center, and GINA Director, Jen Delamere. Together, they’ll discuss the 2026 fire season in Alaska, how low-latency JPSS satellite products are delivered to the operational fire community for decision-making, and new developments in wildfire remote sensing technology.

Follow the link to add next week’s seminar to your calendar and learn more about the NOAA Science Seminar Series →

STAR translates raw satellite data into critical information needed to inform the public and safeguard the environment across the country and around the world.

10/06/2026

With temperatures in northern and interior Alaska dipping to the teens over the weekend we’d say it’s time to break out some of our trusty satellite snow products like the Snow/Cloud Discriminator ❄️ Take a look at this image from Sunday (10/04) showing snow cover across the North Slope. The Snow/Cloud Discriminator shows snow & ice in white/pale pink, while clouds show up in yellow, orange and pink depending on height!

Learn more about the SnowCloud Discriminator and how to interpret imagery with this Quick Guide →https://gina.alaska.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/VIIRS_Cloud_Snow_Discriminator_QuickGuide_02052024.pdf

10/06/2026

Curious about tsunami hazards and preparedness in Alaska? Join us Wed. Oct 14 @ 11 AKDT for this month's VAWS webinar hosted by GINA, the Alaska Satellite Facility, and the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Preparedness: Tsunami Alerting in Alaska. Summer Ohlendorf, with the National Tsunami Warning Center (NTWC), will discuss the types of tsunami hazards present in Alaska, how the team at the NTWC and their partners assess and alert for tsunamis, and how you can be better prepared for the next one.

Registration and more information found here →

Speaker: Summer Ohlendorf, Science and Operations Officer, National Tsunami Warning Center A map illustrating the propagation and wave travel times of the April 1, 1946, Aleutian Islands tsunami. A…

10/01/2026

❄️ Winter is well and truly on the way and Fairbanks woke up to fresh snow this morning! Satellites use a snowfall rate (AK-SFR) product to measure snowfall across the state, with snow falling from the eastern coast to the interior starting early this morning. AK-SFR shows heavier snowfall in yellow and orange, and lighter snow in blue. Fairbanks is predicted to get ~1-3” of snow today with some chillier weather predicted to roll in this weekend, we might even see some sub 20F temps Saturday morning 🧊🌡 🌨

To learn more about AK-SFR check out this quick guide →https://gina.alaska.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/QuickGuide_SFR_202503.pdf

09/29/2026

While some Alaskans prepare for the onset of snow, our friends on the panhandle are weathering some heavy fall rain! Satellites have been tracking the progression of rain from last weekend into this week using Quantitative Precipitation Estimate (QPE). This product uses microwave data to approximate the amount of liquid precipitation received over 6hrs, highlighting the heaviest rain in orange, with additional surface based measurements from METAR, written in black. According to the US National Weather Service Juneau Alaska, the panhandle experienced ~2” of rain in a 24 hour period on Sunday (9/27) and the system is expected to continue moving east through Wednesday.

09/25/2026

📢 Join the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Preparedness (ACCAP) and the Alaska Fire Science Consortium (AFSC) Tues, Sept 29 @ 11 AKDT for a regional review of the 2026 wildfire season. Rick Thoman of ACCAP will provide broader weather and climate context, while meteorologists from the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center (AICC) Predictive Services and Canadian wildfire experts review how the season unfolded. Join to discuss notable fires, operational challenges, lessons learned, and what this year’s contrasting fire seasons may reveal about wildfire in Northern North America.

Click here to register & learn more →

Speakers: Rick Thoman (Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Preparedness), Heidi Strader and Jonathan Chriest (Alaska Interagency Coordination Center Predictive Services), Mike Smith (Canadian …