A comparison of afternoon/maximum temperatures over snow cover: forest areas vs. open country

In many cases the coverage and depth of snow cover are key variables in wintertime temperature forecasting. The usual decision is to forecast lower temperatures ever snow covered areas than over bare ground. However, this may not be the case if one considers a snow covered forest area primarily composed of coniferous trees. A surface temperature analysis, snow cover chart, and a visible satellite picture are used to examine the apparent effects of a forest on the afternoon temperature of a snow covered region.