Flooding along the Missouri River

Flooding along the Missouri River
Flooding along the Missouri River

Flooding continued along the Missouri River in late June 2011, affecting multiple communities in Nebraska. On June 26, the Advanced Hydrological Prediction Service (AHPS) of the U.S. National Weather Service reported moderate flooding near Omaha and Brownville, and major flooding near Plattsmouth, Nebraska City, and Rulo.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured these images on June 25, 2011 (top), and June 26, 2010 (bottom). Both images use a combination of visible and infrared light to increase contrast between water and land. Water ranges from electric blue to navy. Vegetation is green. Bare ground is earth-toned. Clouds range from off-white to blue-green.

Compared to conditions from the previous year, the Missouri River is visibly swollen in 2011, from north of Omaha to south of Rulo. By June 26, 2011, the river had exceeded its historic crests at Plattsmouth, Nebraska City, Brownville and Rulo, the AHPS reported.

NASA images courtesy MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center. Caption by Michon Scott.

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