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Record-setting flooding in Nebraska, western Iowa and South Dakota is so widespread it has been detected by satellite.

Triggered by a rare combination of rapid snowmelt, ice-covered rivers, saturated frozen soil, and heavy rain from the so-called "Bomb Cyclone", Winter Storm Ulmer, this massive flooding triggered evacuations, washed out bridges and swamped towns.

(MORE: Latest Flood News | Record Flood Recap)

The first animation below is a wide view of the central Plains and Midwest, using imagery from NASA's Terra satellite.

On March 4, snow cover was widespread as the Plains were shivering in one of the coldest March outbreaks in years.

By the time skies cleared on March 15 after the Bomb Cyclone was long gone, most snow in Iowa and eastern Nebraska had melted due to warmer temperatures and rain from the storm.

A tighter zoom into the area shows the contrast between the snow-covered Plains and the snowless terrain dominated by a number of swollen rivers in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa 11 days later.

To better illustrate the extent of flooding compared to normal river levels, we also examined satellite imagery on February 4, a relatively infrequent day in mid-winter with both mostly clear skies, but little snow cover.

We highlighted some of the most prominent flooded rivers with green arrows below, including the Elkhorn, Loup, Niobrara and Platte Rivers.

Northern Nebraska's Niobrara River, along which the Spencer Dam was heavily damaged, is highlighted by the green arrow near the top of the images below.

Using a special GOES-East satellite product typically used to differentiate snow cover from low clouds and fog, the river flooding stands out even better, particularly the widespread flooding of the Missouri River north of Omaha.