NASA satellite images show return of Central California's Tulare Lake

Photos captured from the NASA Earth Observatory show a huge increase in water within the Tulare Lake Basin.

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Friday, April 7, 2023
NASA satellite images show return of Tulare Lake
Photos captured from the NASA Earth Observatory show a huge increase in water within the Tulare Lake Basin.

KINGS COUNTY, Calif. -- Images from NASA show the revival of Tulare Lake after months of relentless rainfall in Central California.

In Kings County, floodwaters are covering a large area of agricultural land in the Tulare Lake Basin.

Photos captured by the NASA Earth Observatory between March 2 and April 1 show a huge increase in water in the once-dry lake.

Photos taken between March 2 and April 1 show the return of Tulare Lake. (NASA)

RELATED: Thousands of acres of farmland remain underwater in Kings County

The water levels in the basin are something the area hasn't seen in nearly four decades.

Rivers that used to run into the basin were diverted in the 1980s, leaving the land in the basin to be used for agricultural fields.

Before it went dry, the lake was known in the late 1800s as the largest freshwater lake in the western United States.

The flooded areas of Kings County are expected to stay underwater into this summer.

The video featured in the above player is from a previous story and will be updated.