NASA images captured (top) acquired April 2, (middle) acquired March 26, (bottom) acquired December 12, 2010

To view and or download the full high res images go to: earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=50054

In February 2011, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned citizens of the Midwestern United States to prepare for a difficult spring with major floods. Those predictions are being fulfilled in North Dakota (N.D.) and Minnesota (Minn.), as melting snow and spring rains have raised rivers to and above their banks.

The Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite acquired these three natural-color views of snow cover and melting in the area around Fargo, N.D., and Moorhead, Minn. The top image was captured on April 2, 2011, before the river approached major flood stage. The middle image shows some spring melting by March 26, 2011, and the bottom image shows a snowy blanket over the landscape on December 12, 2010.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, gages along the Red River in Fargo recorded the river height at 38.16 feet (11.63 meters) at 12:15 p.m. Central Daylight Time on April 8. Major flood stage for the city is considered 30 feet. Upstream of Fargo, at a station near Thompson, N.D., gages recorded the river height at 54.36 feet (16.57 meters) at 12:15 p.m. CDT on April 8.

The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead reported that the river was expected to crest between 39 to 40 feet sometime on April 10. The record flood for the Fargo-Moorhead area was 40.84 feet (12.45 meters) in 2009. Weather forecasts were calling for as much as 1.5 inches of new rain or snow over the weekend, though that was expected take a few days to affect the river.

Citizens and local government groups spent much of the week deploying sandbags and preparing for flood waters. U.S. President Obama declared a federal emergency in the area on April 7, allowing the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other government institutions to provide disaster aid.

NASA Earth Observatory image created by Jesse Allen, using EO-1 ALI data provided courtesy of the NASA EO-1 team and the United States Geological Survey. Caption by Michael Carlowicz.

Instrument: EO-1 - ALI

Credit: NASA Earth Observatory

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