Above-normal precipitation swelled Michigan’s rivers to major flood stage in March and April 2026, damaging infrastructure and triggering evacuations in multiple counties. Landsat captured the Grand River well beyond its banks, with floodwater spreading across surrounding farmland.
Flooding along the Grand River—Michigan’s longest—near Grand Rapids is visible in the image above (top), acquired on April 11, 2026. For comparison, the bottom image shows the area the previous April. The images are false-color to better distinguish water from vegetation and other land cover.
Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey
