In early March 2012, authorities evacuated residents of New South Wales, Australia, as the Murrumbidgee River approached its highest level in 159 years, news reports said. Although the town of Wagga Wagga escaped major flooding, roughly 9,000 people were evacuated. Meanwhile, about 75 percent of the state of New South Wales was either flooded or threatened with flooding.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image on March 5.This image use a combination of visible and infrared light to better distinguish between water and land. Water varies from electric blue to navy. Vegetation is bright green. Bare ground is earth-toned. Clouds range in color from white to pale blue-green.

The transformation of the landscape between mid-February and early March is dramatic. In February, aside from some water bodies in the south, the region appears mostly dry. Twenty days later, heavy rains have turned parts of New South Wales into inland seas.

On January 11, 2012, Tropical Cyclone Heidi was located roughly 45 nautical miles (85 kilometers) from Port Hedland, Australia. The U.S. Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) reported that Heidi packed maximum sustained winds of 55 knots (100 kilometers per hour) with gusts up to 70 knots (130 kilometers per hour). The storm was moving toward the south-southwest.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image on January 11, 2012. The center of the storm is north-northeast of Port Hedland, and storm clouds extended over much of the northwestern Australia coast.

The JTWC forecast that Heidi would make landfall slightly west of Port Hedland. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that flooding was expected overnight January 11–12, and that residents of low-lying areas should relocate to emergency shelters. Perth Now reported iron ore exports from Port Hedland had been disrupted, with terminals shut down ahead of the storm.