Rivers in North Dakota

Wild Rice River (ND) near Abercrombie

Richland County, North DakotaNWS ABRN8USGS 05053000Grand Forks office

Below flood stage
9.85ftStage

Observed Thu, Sep 24, 3:00 AM CDT

Flood stage
20.00 ft
Record crest
37.78 ft2009

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood28.00 ft
Moderate flood22.00 ft
Minor flood20.00 ft
Action17.00 ft
  1. 30.00 ftCounty Road 3 bridge (downstream of gage) starts to flood.
  2. 28.00 ftMAJOR FLOOD. Bridge near the gage is inaccessible due to agricultural flooding.
  3. 25.00 ftSome local flooding begins on rural roads and approaches to bridges.
  4. 22.00 ftMODERATE FLOOD. City begins to mobilize.
  5. 20.00 ftMINOR FLOOD.
  6. 18.40 ftFlood damage to the village of Great Bend, ND.
  7. 17.20 ftAgricultural damage from river mile 77 to river mile 108.
  8. 17.00 ftACTION STAGE/FORECAST SERVICE STAGE.
  9. 14.00 ftSmall dam 0.75 mile downstream floods.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding8%
Moderate floodingUnder 5%
Major floodingUnder 5%

The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued August 28, 2026.

Crest history

99 crests on NOAA’s list since 1897.

#DateStage
1March 25, 200937.78 ft
2January 1, 189737.50 ft
3April 6, 199736.59 ft
4April 6, 201135.99 ft
5April 9, 200135.20 ft
6April 2, 200635.06 ft
7March 19, 201034.61 ft
8April 11, 196934.58 ft
9April 6, 198933.62 ft
10April 6, 201932.76 ft
11April 15, 197932.39 ft
12April 29, 201331.63 ft
13April 2, 194331.02 ft
14June 5, 200730.96 ft
15April 12, 195230.62 ft
16March 30, 197830.03 ft
17July 4, 197529.16 ft
18May 18, 199828.82 ft
19April 19, 202328.44 ft
20March 19, 196628.43 ft
21July 9, 196228.38 ft
22March 30, 199528.18 ft
23March 30, 202027.90 ft
24April 1, 199327.52 ft
25May 1, 201427.17 ft

Most recent crests

  • March 22, 2026: 14.08 ft
  • June 30, 2025: 17.80 ft
  • June 30, 2024: 19.44 ft
  • April 19, 2023: 28.44 ft
  • March 23, 2022: 24.45 ft
  • April 10, 2021: 13.09 ft
  • March 30, 2020: 27.90 ft
  • October 14, 2019: 22.90 ft
  • April 6, 2019: 32.76 ft
  • April 19, 2018: 17.27 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the North Central River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued as needed during times of high water, but are not routinely available. Stage may be affected by ice during winter months. River forecasts for this location take into account past precipitation and the precipitation amounts expected approximately 24 hours into the future from the forecast issuance time. River forecasts for this location take into account past precipitation and the precipitation amounts expected approximately 48 hours into the future from the forecast issuance time. On October 1, 2023, the USGS changed the datum at this location resulting in a permanent 10.0 ft increase in reported river levels. This has also resulted in a 10.0 ft increase in flood stage levels.

Sources

Stage, flood stages, impacts and crest history from NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service. Streamflow and the daily record from the U.S. Geological Survey.