USGS.
Science for a Changing World.
Record-breaking flooding in Australia.
Image of the Week.
In May 2025, record rainfall
in Australia’s New South Wales created major flooding along the coast.
In Taree, a mid-North Coast city, the Manning River
reached a height of 6.4m on May 21st.
The previous record of six meters was set back in 1929.
The torrential rains have left almost 800 properties
and counting uninhabitable in New South Wales.
South Australia
was hit in late March through early April 2025.
Extensive rainfall in Queensland in March sent floodwaters down the Kinipapa
or Cooper Creek into the South’s outback township of Innamincka.
Landsat images show the area before and during the flooding.
Pasturelands, settlements, and protected national areas
became inundated with floodwater, prompting massive road and park closures.
The water levels peaked around 14.5m, a little over 47ft,
near the Innamincka Causeway, surpassing the previous flood record set in 1974.
Thanks to Landsat’s decades long satellite archive, scientists
and emergency managers can use images from 1974
to help gauge the scale and extent of the current flood.
By comparing 2025 conditions to 1974 imagery, responders can better understand
how the landscape has changed, what areas are at risk,
and how best to prioritize response and recovery efforts.
While the rainfall has devastated areas upland, floodwaters from Queensland
have been making their way into Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre,
the second largest salt lake in the world.
The lake has been filling at an unprecedented rate, allowing native
vegetation to flourish.
The Landsat program provides the tools to track
significant environmental changes like those caused by flooding.
Using Landsat images to document natural disasters
can help mitigate damage in the future.
Credits and sources appear on screen.
USGS.
Science for a Changing World.