Rivers in North Dakota

Devils Lake near Devils Lake

Ramsey County, North DakotaNWS DCBN8USGS 05056500Grand Forks office

Major flooding
50.05ftStage

Observed Sun, Sep 20, 5:00 PM CDT

Flood stage
0.10 ft
Record crest
54.30 ft2011

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood0.30 ft
Moderate flood0.20 ft
Minor flood0.10 ft
  1. 60.00 ftTop of dike raised to this elevation in 2006 (current dike protection level plus 5.0 feet of freeboard equal top of dike elevation).
  2. 59.00 ftPrior to January 2010, the height that Devils Lake/Stump Lake spills into Sheyenne River through Tolna Coulee. Combined area of Devils and Stump Lakes would be 450 sq mi.
  3. 58.00 ftTolna Coulee clean-out height (January 2010).
  4. 56.00 ftAmtrak service from Grand Forks to Devils Lake affected due to water on track.
  5. 55.00 ftCurrent dike protection level (2006; without freeboard). Combined area of Devils and Stump Lakes would be 227 sq mi.
  6. 54.30 ft**** Record level - June 27, 2011 - USGS Max Daily Average ****
  7. 49.20 ftDrainage problems for Minnewaukan. Ramsey Co. Hwy 2 affected.
  8. 49.00 ftDevils Lake at 213 sq mi.
  9. 48.30 ftUS Hwy 281 (north of Minnewaukan) closed during high winds.
  10. 48.00 ftDevils Lake at 202 sq mi.
  11. 47.20 ftDevils Lake at 195 sq mi.
  12. 47.10 ftDevils Lake spilled into Stump Lake (August 1999; previous overflow in the 1820s).
  13. 47.00 ftOrdinary High Water Mark (OHWM). Devils Lake at 191 sq mi.
  14. 46.50 ftApproximate height of Jerusalem Coulee from East Lake to West Stump Lake (surveyed by ND SWC 2021).
  15. 46.00 ftMinimum level for ND Department of Water Resources pumping operations for both the West and East End Outlets.
  16. 38.40 ftDevils Lake at 140 sq mi. First recorded lake level (1867).
  17. 22.40 ftDevils Lake at 68 sq mi (October 1992).
  18. 0.90 ftDevils Lake at 10 sq mi (October 1940).

Crest history

63 crests on NOAA’s list since 1962.

#DateStage
1June 27, 201154.30 ft
2June 25, 201354.13 ft
3June 28, 201453.72 ft
4April 16, 201253.54 ft
5July 26, 201052.25 ft
6June 7, 201551.96 ft
7June 10, 201751.94 ft
8July 22, 202251.27 ft
9June 27, 200950.93 ft
10June 8, 202350.87 ft
11June 29, 201850.46 ft
12July 12, 202450.35 ft
13July 8, 202050.33 ft
14September 25, 201650.33 ft
15June 29, 201949.36 ft
16May 9, 200649.20 ft
17June 17, 200449.18 ft
18August 2, 200549.17 ft
19March 30, 202148.62 ft
20July 2, 200148.01 ft
21June 15, 200747.95 ft
22July 17, 200247.56 ft
23May 9, 200347.55 ft
24August 15, 199947.28 ft
25June 12, 200847.08 ft

Most recent crests

  • July 12, 2024: 50.35 ft
  • June 8, 2023: 50.87 ft
  • July 22, 2022: 51.27 ft
  • March 30, 2021: 48.62 ft
  • July 8, 2020: 50.33 ft
  • June 29, 2019: 49.36 ft
  • June 29, 2018: 50.46 ft
  • June 10, 2017: 51.94 ft
  • September 25, 2016: 50.33 ft
  • June 7, 2015: 51.96 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the North Central River Forecast Center. Forecasts are not available. Only observed stages are available for this point. Stage may be affected by ice during winter months.

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.