The Missouri River remained swollen through parts of Nebraska,
Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas in early August 2011. The Moderate
Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra
satellite captured the top image on August 2, 2011. For
comparison, the bottom image shows the same area one year
earlier, on August 3, 2010. Both images use a combination of
visible and infrared light to increase contrast between water
and land. Water is navy blue. Vegetation is green. Clouds range
in color from off-white to pale glue-green. Compared to the
previous year, the Missouri River is substantially swollen in
2011, especially along Nebraska’s eastern border. The river has
also pushed over its banks in parts of Kansas and Missouri. On
August 5, 2011, the Advanced Hydrological Prediction Service
(AHPS) of the U.S. National Weather Service reported major
flooding in St. Joseph, Missouri. The AHPS also reported
moderate flooding in the Kansas communities of Atchison and
Leavenworth; in the Missouri community of Napoleon;