At the end of 2015, a series of storms dropped 6–10 inches of rain in a few days over the central part of the United States. Missouri and Illinois were particularly hard hit, with many waterways overflowing their banks.



Water has receded in most places, but a Landsat 7 image acquired January 1, 2016, clearly shows an example of the extent of the flooding. Flowing north to south at the top center of the image is the Wabash River, which forms the border between Illinois and Indiana. The Wabash flows into the Ohio River.



Water is blue in these images. The December 8, 2015, image shows the rivers at normal water levels. The January 1 image shows the swollen Wabash and Ohio Rivers, each of them submerging the floodplains. Smaller tributaries have also overflowed their banks.



USGS collects streamflow data at streamgages throughout the region, and throughout the United States. These gages measure water levels, streamflow, and rainfall. Along with satellite images, these data help monitor the flooding, and help project the severity of flooding effects downstream.