The Great 1993 Mississippi Flood

The flooding of the Midwest in 1993 was the most devastating in U.S. history - only rivaled perhaps by the great Mississippi Flood of 1927.   Fifty people died and 15 billion dollars were lost, as 17 thousand square miles of land were covered by floodwater from North Dakota down to Missouri.

The high water levels were due in part to a 50 to 100 percent increase in rainfall in the Mississippi River drainage basin during the first half of the year.  Added to this was the fact that the previous year was cooler than average, so the ground was still partly saturated.

Roger Brackenridge of Dartmouth College has used satellite imagery to review this and other flood disasters.  The goal is to improve flood management, prediction and monitoring.

The false color images above - taken by the Landsat 5 satellite - compares the area around St. Louis, Missouri, in August of 1991 and 1993.  Water appears dark blue, healthy vegetation is green, bare fields and freshly exposed soil are pink, and concrete is grey.

The Mississippi River in St. Louis was above flood stage for 144 days between April 1 and September 30, 1993. 

• Amazing Images: Science & Nature Photos from Our Readers

-- LiveScience Staff

Credit: NASA/ Earth Observatory/Jesse Allen