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Floodwaters Overwhelm Thailand

βœ‡NASA Breaking News
9 October 2026 at 00:01
October 7, 2025
October 2, 2026

A narrow river (dark blue) meanders across vegetated land (bright green) in a false-color satellite image. Small geometric ponds or waterlogged fields appear on the left side of the scene.
A narrow river (dark blue) meanders across vegetated land (bright green) in a false-color satellite image. Small geometric ponds or waterlogged fields appear on the left side of the scene.
NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin

In a false-color satellite image of the same area, floodwaters (dark blue) flank a meandering river and cover a large swath of agricultural or aquacultural land primarily on the left side of the scene.
In a false-color satellite image of the same area, floodwaters (dark blue) flank a meandering river and cover a large swath of agricultural or aquacultural land primarily on the left side of the scene.
NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin

A narrow river (dark blue) meanders across vegetated land (bright green) in a false-color satellite image. Small geometric ponds or waterlogged fields appear on the left side of the scene.
A narrow river (dark blue) meanders across vegetated land (bright green) in a false-color satellite image. Small geometric ponds or waterlogged fields appear on the left side of the scene.
NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin
In a false-color satellite image of the same area, floodwaters (dark blue) flank a meandering river and cover a large swath of agricultural or aquacultural land primarily on the left side of the scene.
In a false-color satellite image of the same area, floodwaters (dark blue) flank a meandering river and cover a large swath of agricultural or aquacultural land primarily on the left side of the scene.
NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin

October 7, 2025

October 2, 2026


September falls in the heart of the monsoon season in Thailand, where cities and towns are accustomed to the afternoon rains and thunderstorms that frequently roll through. But throughout late September and early October 2026, persistent heavy rains punctuated by intense downpours left low-lying areas across the country in Southeast Asia under sustained flooding.

Prachin Buri province was among the areas where flooding was widespread. The right image above shows land along the Bang Pakong River and nearby agricultural areas and aquaculture facilities inundated on October 2, 2026. The left image shows the same area at the same time of year in 2025. Acquired with NASA-USGS Landsat satellites, the images areΒ false-color to better distinguish water from vegetation, developed land, and other surfaces. The bright red shapes are floating solar arrays.

Some of the flooding likely stemmed from a low-pressure system that stalled over the area for several days in late September. Stoked by moisture and energy from the warm Gulf of Thailand nearby, the system delivered especially intense rains to the region. About 100 kilometers (60 miles) to the west, Bangkok received nearly 300 millimeters (11.8 inches) of rain over a 48-hour period, according to news reports, close to the average monthly rainfall total for September of 344 millimeters (13.5 inches).

Since mid-September, flooding has occurred in 50 provinces across the country, affecting over 4 million people and causing dozens of deaths, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Government agencies estimate about 270,000 hectares (670,000 acres) of farmland, including rice fields and fruit orchards, have been damaged.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from theΒ U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Lindsey Doermann.

Downloads

A narrow river (dark blue) meanders across vegetated land (bright green) in a false-color satellite image. Small geometric ponds or waterlogged fields appear on the left side of the scene.

October 7, 2025

JPEG (3.56 MB)

In a false-color satellite image of the same area, floodwaters (dark blue) flank a meandering river and cover a large swath of agricultural or aquacultural land primarily on the left side of the scene.

October 2, 2026

JPEG (3.79 MB)

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Rains Swamp the Gandak River

βœ‡NASA Breaking News
2 October 2026 at 00:01
September 20, 2026
September 29, 2026

A false-color satellite image shows the Gandak River before the flooding on September 20, 2026.
A false-color satellite image shows the Gandak River before the flooding on September 20, 2026.
NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin

A false-color satellite image shows the same area during the flooding on September 29, 2026. The river appears much wider.
A false-color satellite image shows the same area during the flooding on September 29, 2026. The river appears much wider.
NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin

A false-color satellite image shows the Gandak River before the flooding on September 20, 2026.
A false-color satellite image shows the Gandak River before the flooding on September 20, 2026.
NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin
A false-color satellite image shows the same area during the flooding on September 29, 2026. The river appears much wider.
A false-color satellite image shows the same area during the flooding on September 29, 2026. The river appears much wider.
NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin

September 20, 2026

September 29, 2026


Storms drenched Nepal’s mountainous Lumbini and Gandaki provinces with waves of torrential rain between September 24 and 27. The deluge, arriving late in the monsoon season, triggered landslides and pushed the Gandak River, also called the Narayani, to record levels in both Nepal and India.

With runoff streaming into the braided river system, water overtopped and breached embankments in several areas, inundating farmland and settlements along the river for hundreds of kilometers. As authorities assessed the full extent of the damage, news reports indicated that flooding and landslides had affected hundreds of villages and displaced thousands of people.

Images captured by MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites on September 20, 2026 (left), and September 29, 2026 (right), show the extent of the flooding. The false-color images combine observations of infrared and visible light (MODIS bands 7-2-1) to make it easier to distinguish the water. Floodwater appears blue; vegetation is bright green; clouds are light blue.

In many areas, water inundated seasonal fields on low-lying deposits of sand and silt within the river’s channel, called diara, where flooding is expected. However, it also breached embankments and flooded several settled areas, including parts of Bagaha, Areraj, and Fulia Khand.

Data from Nepal’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology indicated that a gauge in Devghāṭ reached as high as 11.94 meters on September 27, the highest since measurements began there in the 1960s. According to news reports, gauges in India along the Gandak that set new high-water marks included Bagaha, Dumariaghat, Rewaghat, and Lalganj.

NASA has several tools and datasets available for tracking rainfall and flooding. Among them are Worldview, FLOOD Viewer, and the GPM IMERG Global Viewer.Β 

NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using MODIS data from NASAΒ EOSDIS LANCEΒ andΒ GIBS/Worldview. Story by Adam Voiland.

Downloads

A false-color satellite image shows the Gandak River before the flooding on September 20, 2026.

September 20, 2026

JPEG (1.22 MB)

A false-color satellite image shows the same area during the flooding on September 29, 2026. The river appears much wider.

September 29, 2026

JPEG (1.98 MB)

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