This website works best with a newer web browser such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Microsoft Edge. Internet Explorer is not supported by this website.

CIMSS Satellite Blog

MENU

River flooding in the Lower Mississippi and Tennessee River Valley

By Scott Bachmeier •

30-day Precipitation and Percent of Normal Precipitation [click to enlarge]

30-day Precipitation and Percent of Normal Precipitation [click to enlarge]

A toggle between Observed Precipitation and Percent of Normal Precipitation for the 30-day period ending at 12 UTC on 24 February 2019 (above) showed a large area that received 10-15 inches of rainfall — which was 200-400% of normal — across the Lower Mississippi River and Tennessee River Valleys.

A before/after comparison of Terra MODIS False Color Red-Green-Blue (RGB) images from 25 January and 24 February 2019 (below) revealed the extensive area of flooding that resulted. Flooded areas appear as varying shades of blue on the False Color imagery (source).

Terra MODIS False Color RGB images from 25 January and 24 February 2019 [click to enlarge]

Terra MODIS False Color RGB images from 25 January and 24 February 2019 [click to enlarge]

In a comparison of Terra MODIS True Color and False Color RGB images from 24 February (below), many of the flooded rivers exhibit a tan-colored appearance in the True Color image due to large amounts of sediment suspended in the water.

Terra MODIS True Color and False Color RGB images from 24 February [click to enlarge]

Terra MODIS True Color and False Color RGB images from 24 February [click to enlarge]

A Flood Map derived using NOAA-20 VIIRS data (below) quantitatively showed the extent of the flooding. CIMSS scientists Jay Hoffman and William Straka contributed to the development of this food monitoring product.

NOAA-20 VIIRS Flood Map [click to enlarge]

NOAA-20 VIIRS Flood Map [click to enlarge]

Categories: Heavy rain / flooding, Hydrology, MODIS, NOAA-20, Red-Green-Blue (RGB) images, Terra, VIIRS