NASA’s SWOT Satellite Reveals the Depths of California’s Weather Woes

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite provides a new view of water on land, at the coast, and in the ocean.

A series of atmospheric rivers drenched California in February, with record amounts of rainfall and hurricane-force winds sweeping across parts of the state. At one point, weather agencies posted flood watches for nearly the entirety of California’s coast. The SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) mission captured data on some of the flooding near the community of Manchester, roughly 105 miles (169 kilometers) north of San Francisco. The satellite is a collaboration between NASA and the French space agency, CNES (Centre National d‘Études Spatiales).