5 billion dollars. Flooding was the result of significant winter snows and significant spring rains, not only in North Dakota but in Montana as well.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS BIS wrote it up.
This was part of historic flooding in North Dakota with statewide costs estimated around 1.5 billion dollars. Flooding was the result of significant winter snows and significant spring rains, not only in North Dakota but in Montana as well. Rocky Mountain snowpack was four to six times normal. Flooding was along the Missouri River from the Montana border to Garrison Dam. Dams were overwhelmed by the amount of water. Flooding included river, ground, and overland types. Oil wells were shuttered. Estimated damages were around $400,000 and that is not all inclusive. There was a significant loss to agriculture by not being able to plant. A tremendous flood fight was waged against the river, and that cost is not included here. Storm Data cannot reflect the scope of this event. Information is what was available at the time of this writing. Refer to newspaper articles and other federal, state, and local sources for detailed information.
Here are some facts about the flooding in North Dakota provided by North Dakota Emergency Management. The total estimated flood cost was around $1.5 billion. Individual and housing assistance was $323 million; small business $248 million; home and business reconstruction $452 million; public response, recovery, and mitigation $480 million; disaster unemployment for 866 claims was $2.3 million; and the public finance authority disaster loan program approved $56.6 million. Public infrastructure costs were $320 million. Of the state's 53 counties, 48 were impacted, along with three tribal nations.
The Missouri River was in flood in every state in the United States of America that it runs through. This was a multi-state disaster.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Bismarck, ND wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 31, 9:01 PM CST, 2 hours 59 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 1001 PM CDT TUE MAY 31 2011 .UPDATE...ALLOWED THE WIND ADVISORY TO EXPIRE. && .DISCUSSION...THE PRESSURE GRADIENT HAS DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY ACROSS THE REGION. FURTHERMORE...THE BOUNDARY LAYER CONTINUES TO STABILIZE AS RADIATIONAL COOLING DEVELOPS. AS A RESULT...LET THE WIND ADVISORY EXPIRE. THE REMAINING WEATHER ELEMENTS ARE IN GOOD SHAPE. && .AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD. HIGH PRESSURE MOVING ACROSS THE REGION WEDNESDAY WILL ALLOW FOR SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS TO DEVELOP ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA BY 00Z THURSDAY. && .BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && TM...UPDATE WFO GRAND FORKS...AVIATION
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 1006 PM CDT TUE MAY 31 2011 NDZ001>005-009>013-017>023-025-031>037-040>048-050-051-020315- DIVIDE-BURKE-RENVILLE-BOTTINEAU-ROLETTE-WILLIAMS-MOUNTRAIL-WARD- MCHENRY-PIERCE-MCKENZIE-DUNN-MERCER-OLIVER-MCLEAN-SHERIDAN-WELLS- FOSTER-GOLDEN VALLEY-BILLINGS-STARK-MORTON-BURLEIGH-KIDDER- STUTSMAN-SLOPE-HETTINGER-GRANT-BOWMAN-ADAMS-SIOUX-EMMONS-LOGAN- LA MOURE-MCINTOSH-DICKEY- 1006 PM CDT TUE MAY 31 2011 /906 PM MDT TUE MAY 31 2011/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA...NORTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA...SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA...SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT FLOOD WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF THE FORECAST AREA. SEE WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BIS FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY...AND AGAIN ON FRIDAY. ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS ARE NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING...AND AGAIN THURSDAY AFTERNOON. THE MAIN THREAT WOULD BE LARGE HAIL. WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINFALL IS NOT ANTICIPATED...ALTHOUGH INDIVIDUAL THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. TM
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
See the event episode narrative for details.
See the event episode narrative for details.
See the event episode narrative for details.
See the event episode narrative for details.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Dakota in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in North Dakota, June 2011
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: 356378, 356388, 356379, 356389.