Dry-Season Floods Drench Northern Colombia
NASA
February 26, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
In early February 2026, northern Colombia faced unprecedented flooding in its typically dry season when unusually heavy rains caused the Sinú River to overflow. Villages, farmland, and wetlands across Córdoba department were submerged, displacing thousands of families and destroying over 150,000 hectares of farmland. NASA’s Landsat 9 satellite imagery revealed extensive flooding, with dark floodwaters covering communities and agricultural areas west of the river, while wetland levels remained unusually high east of it.
The extreme weather was triggered by a cold front in the Caribbean that pushed moisture-laden air into the region, leading to intense downpours. Some areas received up to 7 centimeters (2.76 inches) of rain per day, with NASA’s IMERG satellite estimating 1.7 centimeters per hour near Lorica on February 1 alone. This event disrupted the region’s normal agricultural cycle, as farmers prepared fields for planting and ranchers moved livestock during this typically dry period.
The floods have had a devastating impact, with over 80% of Córdoba affected. More than 11,000 families were displaced, thousands of homes destroyed, and
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Originally published on NASA on 2/26/2026