January 19, 2023 - Flooding in California's Sacramento Valley

Flooding
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After weeks of a seemingly endless string of storms, skies cleared over
California’s Sacramento Valley on January 17, 2023, allowing the
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra
satellite to acquire a false-color image of flooding in the region. In
this type of image, vegetation appears bright green, water looks dark
blue, and open land appears tan. Burn scars, which have been left
behind by previous fires, can range from deep tan to brick red. Snow
appears electric blue while cloud may look either white or, if it
contains ice crystals, be tinted electric blue.

On January 1, 2023—the last previous day the skies were clear—Terra
MODIS acquired a similar image on the same region. By stacking the two
images, with January 17 on top and January 1 below, it is easy to
compare the progression of flooding near Sacramento.

On January 1, floodwaters had clearly laid claim to much of the
Sacramento Valley, including many of the agricultural fields near the
Sutter Buttes. The Sutter Buttes, which look nearly circular from
space, rise almost 2,000 feet (610 meters) above the surrounding
fields, which are used to produce sunflower, winter wheat, tomato, and
almonds. Some fields appear brown, either due to stubble from harvested
crops left to lie fallow for the season or due to recently-turned soil
in preparation for planting. The Sacramento River, which tumbles
through a series of bays before reaching the Pacific Ocean, is also in
extreme flood. The city of Sacramento sits along the east side of this
river, close to where it curves westward and southeast of the Sutter
Buttes. Two large burn scars can be seen on the western slopes of the
snow-covered mountains near Lake Tahoe.

By January 17, after the passage of several more deluge-filled
atmospheric rivers, flooding has become even more intense. Fewer fields
are visible due to the inundation, and the Sacramento River has become
even wider. A streak of light color, most likely suspended sediment,
tints the river near Sacramento. Sediment also colors Suisun Bay and
San Pablo Bay. Snowpack has also increased in the mountains, with fresh
snow covering the burn scars.

According to local weather forecasts, the sunny skies won’t last for
long. A storm driven by the passage of a cold front is expected to
bring more rain to the valley, snow to the mountains, and gusty wind
over the entire region in the upcoming week. This isn’t the same type
of storm as the repetitive rounds of atmospheric rivers that have
battered the state, but additional rain may add to flooding. After
mid-week, sunny skies are expected to return to the state.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 1/17/2023
Resolutions: 1km (263.7 KB), 500m (709.4 KB), 250m (450.8
KB)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2023-01-19

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