North Dakota, 1997

Flood in North Dakota, April 16 to 20, 1997

April 16 to 20, 1997 · NWS FGF · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The cresting Red River caused numerous problems to the Hickson and Fargo areas. 55 feet.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$150 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 cresting Red River caused numerous problems to the Hickson and Fargo areas. Numerous homes along the river were flooded, as the river rose to a new record for the century on the 18th, at 39.55 feet. Overland flooding caused problems along the south and southwest sides of Fargo, as water from the Wild Rice River broke out of its banks and headed overland toward Fargo. The water flowed over Interstate 29 near the Horace exit. A clay dike was built along the south side of the city to prevent this water from flooding thousands of homes. A section was also cut out of US Highway 81 to relieve the water level along the south side of Fargo.

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, Cass

When
April 16, 12:00 AM CST to April 20, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Cass forecast zone
Property damage
$150 million
Coordinates
46.933, -97.248 (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 North Dakota in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in North Dakota, 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: 5591883.