North Dakota, 1998

Flooding in North Dakota, August 2 to 31, 1998

August 2 to 31, 1998 · NWS FGF · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

77 feet MSL, slightly less than the original forecast. This was due to the lack of significant rainfalls in the basin toward late summer.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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.

Devils Lake peaked at 1444.77 feet MSL, slightly less than the original forecast. This was due to the lack of significant rainfalls in the basin toward late summer. Even so, the elevation of the lake has risen around 20 feet since 1993. Over 200 structures have had to be moved. In 1993, the lake covered 38,000 acres. In 1998, Devils Lake covered 110,000 acres, or 172 square miles. An estimated 1 million trees have died along the shoreline. Dikes were built to protect the city of Devils Lake. Several major roads had to be raised and protected from the pounding of waves. Talk continued through the summer on the best ways to alleviate the high water levels. An outlet to the Sheyenne River or an outlet to Stump Lake were two options being considered. There is no clearcut or near-term solution to the problem.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Ramsey

When
August 2, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Ramsey forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
48.269, -98.720 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Benson

When
August 2, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Benson forecast zone
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
48.069, -99.366 (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 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in North Dakota, August 1998

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: 5665311, 5665312.