image: Heavy rain flooded parts of Michigan in April 2013. On April 23, the National Weather Service Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service reported moderate flooding along the Saginaw River, and major flooding along the Grand River near Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite observed flooded conditions on April 21, 2013. For comparison, the image on the bottom of this page: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=80977&src=nha shows relatively normal conditions, on April 5, 2013. These images use a combination of infrared and visible light to increase the contrast between water and land. Water ranges in color from electric blue to navy. Vegetation is bright green. Bare ground appears in shades of red-brown. Clouds vary in color from white to pale blue-green, and some clouds cast shadows. On April 21, the Grand River was swollen both east and west of Grand Rapids, but some of the most obvious flooding occurred around Saginaw. On April 23, MLive reported, "The rain finally stopped, the sun started to shine and the water actually started to recede but it may take several days for the water to make its way through Saginaw County so roads can reopen, basements can dry and farmers can plant their fields." The Saginaw River was expected to remain above flood stage until April 28. Compared to the image acquired earlier in the month, the image from April 21 shows a greater degree of greenness. This may result from recent rains enlivening vegetation, but may also result from the advance of spring across the state. FOR THE BEFORE AND AFTER IMAGES: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=80977&src=nha view more
Credit: NASA images courtesy LANCE MODIS Rapid Response. Caption by Michon Scott.