Flood, Clay
- When
- April 16, 12:00 AM CST to April 20, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Clay forecast zone
- Property damage
- $25 million
- Coordinates
- 46.892, -96.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood in Minnesota, April 16 to 20, 1997
The Red River crested at a new high for the century in Fargo on April 18th. 150 homes in the Oakport Township north of Moorhead were flooded.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $25 million
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS FGF wrote it up.
The Red River crested at a new high for the century in Fargo on April 18th. 150 homes in the Oakport Township north of Moorhead were flooded. The river came up through the storm sewers in Moorhead and blew off several manhole covers. Iron sheets were placed over the manhole covers with garbage trucks on top of them, to stop the backup.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Flood
- Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flood in North Dakota, April 16 to 20, 1997
- Flash Flood in Maine, April 16 to 17, 1997
- Cold in Virginia, April 16, 1997
- Cold in Virginia, April 16, 1997
- Hail in Texas, April 16, 1997
- Hail in Oklahoma, April 16, 1997
- Hail in Texas, April 16, 1997
- Hail in Texas, April 16, 1997
- Hail in Texas, April 16, 1997
- Hail in Texas, April 16, 1997
- Hail in Texas, April 16, 1997
- Hail in Texas, April 16, 1997
More
Every storm in Minnesota in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, April 1997
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5591909.