Minnesota, 1997

Flood in Minnesota, April 5 to 9, 1997

April 5 to 9, 1997 · NWS FGF · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Overland flooding and the Wild Rice River forced the evacuation of Ada. This town of 1,500 people was evacuated on April 7th by the National Guard.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$20 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.

Overland flooding and the Wild Rice River forced the evacuation of Ada. This town of 1,500 people was evacuated on April 7th by the National Guard. Helicopters were called in to help save stranded families around Norman county. A record level was set on the Wild Rice River at Twin Valley on the 6th.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Norman

When
April 5, 12:00 AM CST to April 9, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Norman forecast zone
Property damage
$20 million
Coordinates
47.327, -96.455 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

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: 5591906.