MSGID: 1:317/3 645938a7   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   May 8, 2023 - Flooding on the Mississippi River in Illinois and Iowa   
      
      [image05082023_main.jpg] [image05082023_rollover.jpg]   
      
      May 3, 2023 April 18, 2023   
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      A winter filled with record-breaking snowfall followed by spring storms   
      and rising temperatures triggered heaving flooding along the   
      Mississippi River in late April and early May 2023. According to the   
      Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the winter of 2022-2023 was   
      one of the snowiest on record across most of Minnesota. As of April 20,   
      2023, Duluth measured 139 inches of snow over the winter, setting a new   
      all-time record as it surpassed the previous 135.4 top snow. St.   
      Cloud’s winter was its second snowiest winter since record-keeping in   
      the state began 100 years ago, with 86.6 inches.   
      
      The built-up snow, which is called snowpack, is beneficial as it holds   
      water that, if released slowly, can help keep growing conditions   
      excellent through the heat of summer. But, when a “big melt” occurs and   
      the snow turns to water all at once, damaging floods can follow. As   
      melting snow and spring downpours cause rivers to rise along the   
      Mississippi River and its tributaries, starting from the north and   
      flowing southward, residents are filling sandbags and trying to protect   
      their property.   
      
      This year’s springtime floods reached major level in Minnesota,   
      Illinois, and Iowa by late April or early May, with rising waters   
      continuing southward along the Mississippi. As of May 6, the National   
      Weather Service advised that the Mississippi River had crested in most   
      cities in Minnesota by April 28, and most of the crests fell within the   
      top 5 crests on record. Major level flooding occurred at Wabasha,   
      Winona, Trempealeau, La Cross and McGregor. It will take until around   
      May 10 for most sites in that state to fall below Flood Stage, and   
      another week after that for the river to return to its banks. As of May   
      6, the Mississippi River had crested in most locations in Illinois and   
      Iowa, with moderate flooding remaining in from Dubuque to Camanche,   
      Iowa and major flooding between Le Claire and Burlington, Iowa and   
      minor flooding in the more southerly town of Keokuk.   
      
      The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board   
      NASA’s Terra satellite acquired two false-color images of the   
      springtime flood in Iowa and Illinois, one on May 6 and the other on   
      April 18. This type of false-color image helps differentiate water,   
      which appears blue, from bright green vegetation. Sparsely vegetated or   
      open land appears tan. Each image can be viewed by clicking on the   
      dates.   
      
      The Mississippi River flows through the center of the image, and is   
      heavily flooded. In the north, the Rock River flows westward into the   
      Mississippi at South Rock Island, Illinois with Davenport, Iowa across   
      the Mississippi. The water appears higher in the Rock River and other   
      nearby rivers on April 18. The town of New Boston, Illinois sits near   
      where the Iowa River meets the Mississippi, located just southwest of   
      center in this image. What appears to be a bulge in the Mississippi   
      just north of the Iowa River is Lake Odessa, and Port Lousia National   
      Wildlife Refuge. This more southerly location is more heavily flooded   
      in the May 6 image, as the large islands in Lake Odessa can be seen on   
      April 18 but are submerged in the later image.   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Terra   
      Date Acquired: 5/3/2023   
      Resolutions:  1km (133.6 KB),  500m (308 KB),  250m (181.8 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=2023-05-08   
       
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