NASA MODIS Image of the Day: March 25, 2008 – Floods in the U.S. Midwest
Widespread flooding swept across much of the central United States in the wake of an intense spring storm starting on March 18, 2008.
As water flowed through the vast network of rivers and streams that make up the Mississippi River basin, the flooding spread.
When the clouds cleared on March 20, the MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this view of swollen rivers across the Mississippi basin. If you move your mouse over the main image, you will see a secondary one that was captured on February 19, 2008. It is provided for context. On March 20, a flush of deep blue accentuates nearly every river in the scene. The images were made with both infrared and visible light to make water—usually a muddy tan if viewed from above with human eyes—stand out distinctly from the surrounding landscape. Not only are major rivers like the Mississippi, Arkansas, Ohio, and Wabash flooded, but significant flooding is evident in their tributaries as well. The most visible floods in this image are on the White River and its tributaries. The Mississippi River runs vertically through the middle of the image; the White River is just west of it, and appears blue and swollen in the main image. Around the rivers, the plant-covered land is green. The shades of green vary with the type of land cover (crops, forest, etc.), latitude, and elevation. Clouds are white and light blue, and snow is turquoise.
