Start Date: End Date: Published Date Data Date
Data acquired November 1, 2004 600 x 800 141 KB - JPEG
Data acquired November 1, 2004 1200 x 1600 588 KB - JPEG
Data acquired November 1, 2004 2400 x 3200 1 MB - JPEG
Two large storms pounded California with rain and snow during the last two weeks of October 2004, bringing rain and snowfall totals to record levels for many areas. The resulting high water levels are apparent in this pair of false color images, both acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua and Terra satellites. In the image acquired on November 1, inky black water has pooled in lowlands around the Sacramento River (center) in areas that were mostly dry on October 13. The River flows south through Sacramento Valley, then turns west to empty into San Pablo Bay, the body of water north of San Francisco Bay just below the center of the image. Additional flooding is apparent along the Sacramento River near San Pablo Bay and around the Bay itself. Southwest of the Bay, the San Joaquin River also appears to be flooded in two places where black pools of water surround the river.
Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC
Published November 2, 2004 Data acquired November 1, 2004