MSGID: 1:317/3 63bda7c7   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   January 10, 2023 - Flooding in Northwest Australia   
      
      Flooding   
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      Starting on December 30, 2022, remnants of Tropical Cyclone Ellie   
      brought days of torrential rain and wind to northern Western Australia.   
      The deluge caused the Fitzroy River to swell to record-high levels,   
      inundating floodplains and isolating several riverside communities.   
      
      Severe flooding is evident in the false-color image acquired on January   
      9, 2023, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)   
      on NASA’s Aqua satellite. Water appears light to dark blue; vegetation   
      is green and bare land is brown. NASA’s Worldview App permits an easy   
      comparison between today’s image and one acquired by Aqua MODIS on   
      December 17, 2022. To see the stark difference in the same area pre-   
      and post-flood, simply click  here   
      
      Flooding is common along rivers of the Kimberly region in Western   
      Australia. But the amount of water delivered by the ex-tropical cyclone   
      was exceptional. From December 30, 2022, through the first week of   
      January 2023, rainfall totals across the region ranged from 200 to 500   
      millimeters (7.9 to 19.7 inches).   
      
      As a result, the Fitzroy River’s flow rate reached about 60,000 cubic   
      meters per second—well above the 23,000 cubic meters per second usually   
      seen during floods on this river, and one of the highest flow rates   
      ever observed in any Australian river. Australia’s Bureau of   
      Meteorology reported that the river’s water levels near the town of   
      Fitzroy Crossing peaked at a record-high 15.81 meters on January 4.   
      That’s almost two meters higher than the previous record reached during   
      flooding in 2002.The floodwater left many roads and bridges impassable,   
      isolating Fitzroy Crossing, Derby, Broome, and many of the region’s   
      remote indigenous communities.   
      
      Tropical Cyclone Ellie first hit Australia’s Northern Territory as a   
      Category 1 storm on December 23, 2022. It then weakened into a tropical   
      low before moving into Western Australia on December 30. By January 7,   
      2023, the former tropical cyclone had moved back into the Northern   
      Territory and further weakened as it moved toward Queensland.   
      
      The recent flooding in Western Australia follows several severe   
      flooding events that have occurred in eastern Australia during three   
      consecutive years of La Niña conditions. La Niña usually brings   
      wetter-than-average conditions to the country. 2022 was Australia’s   
      ninth-wettest year on record.   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Aqua   
      Date Acquired: 1/9/2023   
      Resolutions:  1km (285.3 KB),  500m (757.9 KB),  250m (485.8   
      KB)   
      Bands Used: 7,2,1   
      Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC   
      
      
      
   https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2023-01-10   
       
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