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NASA Earth Observatory Images Capture Severe Flooding in the U.S. Midwest, Which Could Have Significant Impacts on the Crop Outlook this Season.
NASA Earth Observatory captured recent satellite images that highlight how record rainfall levels have lead to flooding across the U.S. Midwest. Over a foot of rain fell on parts of South Dakota and Iowa in late June 2024, sending water over the banks of rivers. Overflowing rivers destroyed homes and bridges and inundated farm fields in the Midwestern states. A front of dense moisture, drawn north from the Gulf of Mexico, parked over southeastern South Dakota and northwestern Iowa on June 20 and 21, unleashing torrential rainfall.
The front brought rain to already saturated soils, according to the NWS National Water Center. The Great Plains region had already received 150–200 percent of its normal rainfall between mid-May and mid-June. Using soil moisture data from NASA’s Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) center, NWS forecasted that the ground may not be able to absorb more water. The Big Sioux River, which runs along the Iowa-South Dakota border, rose to record heights after back-to-back days of heavy rainfall. On June 23, the level of the river in Sioux City, Iowa, reached almost 45 feet—7 feet higher than the previous record.
The images above, acquired by the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 and the OLI-2 (Operational Land Imager-2) on Landsat 9, show Sioux City on June 9 (left) and June 24 (right). Water had overtopped the banks of the Big Sioux River in the June 24 image, inundating adjacent farmland. The images are false-color to emphasize the presence of water, which appears dark blue. The image below shows a wider view of southeastern South Dakota and northwestern Iowa on June 24.
A ripple effect from these storms has ensued, impacting corn and soybean farms across the upper U.S. Midwest. As intense and prolonged rainfall continues, so have concerns for crop progress and yield outlooks for this season.
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