Flood, West Polk
- When
- April 17, 12:00 AM CST to April 23, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- West Polk forecast zone
- Property damage
- $600 million
- Coordinates
- 47.774, -96.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood in Minnesota, April 17 to 23, 1997
The Red River crested in East Grand Forks on the 21st/22nd just over 54 feet, shattering the previous record by over 5 feet. Problems with the river gauge led to difficulties in obtaining stages.
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
- $600 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 in East Grand Forks on the 21st/22nd just over 54 feet, shattering the previous record by over 5 feet. Problems with the river gauge led to difficulties in obtaining stages. The 9,000 residents of East Grand Forks were evacuated from their homes on the 18th and 19th, due to the failure of the city dikes. Many homes were completely submerged in water. All of the bridges to Grand Forks were covered with water. Schools in East Grand Forks were cancelled for the remainder of the year. The Red Lake River set a new record in Crookston on the 17th, causing hundreds of people to evacuate their homes.
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 17 to 21, 1997
- Flood in Minnesota, April 17 to 21, 1997
- Tornado and Hail in North Carolina, April 17 to 21, 1997
- Winter Weather in West Virginia, April 17 to 18, 1997
- High Wind in Alaska, April 17, 1997
- High Wind in Montana, April 17, 1997
- Heavy Snow in West Virginia, April 17 to 18, 1997
- Flash Flood in North Dakota, April 17, 1997
- High Wind in Montana, April 17, 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: 5591911.