Flood in North Dakota
Every flood event the National Weather Service has filed in North Dakota, year by year, with the most significant episodes. Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
The most significant on the map
The most significant flood episodes in North Dakota.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 664
- Deaths
- 11
- Injuries
- 5
- Damage
- $3.9 billion
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Dakota, June 12 to 30, 2000Trees were blown down northeast of Grafton.
- Flooding in North Dakota, April 1 to 30, 2006The Red River at Wahpeton/Breckenridge rose above flood stage around 2 AM CST on March 30th and remained above flood stage until around 8 PM CST on April 9th. The river peaked at roughly 15.95 feet around 3 AM CST on April 1st.
- Flooding in North Dakota, March 21 to 31, 1997Warm weather toward the end of March lead to rapid snow melt across southcentral North Dakota. This in turn lead to flooding across much of the area. Near the confluence of Spring Creek and the Knife River, the town of Beulah(Mercer Co) had 150 families evacuated.
- Flooding in North Dakota, April 27 to 30, 2013Melting snow caused overland flooding across portions of northeast North Dakota. Many rural roads were closed due to high water from the melting snow.
- Flood in North Dakota, May 1, 2022A male and female, both 74 years old, from Arcadia, Oklahoma attempted to pass through a low water crossing on the Cannonball River near 96th Ave. SW and 71st St. SW in Hettinger County at around 1:00 PM MDT on May 1.
- Flooding in North Dakota, April 3 to 30, 2011The winter of 2010-2011 generally brought above normal amounts of snow to the area, but particularly so for the Devils Lake basin, the Sheyenne River basin, and the Wild Rice River basin.
- Flooding in North Dakota, April 11 to 30, 2023The spring snow melt of 2023 saw many areas of flooding over North Dakota due to a record deep snow pack and relatively fast melt. Multiple counties experienced infrastructure damage due to the flooding.
- Flood in North Dakota, April 18 to 23, 1997The Red River reached a new record level in Grand Forks, just over 54 feet, on April 21st/22nd, shattering the previous record by over 5 feet. Problems with the river gauge led to difficulties in obtaining stages.
- Tornadoes and Flood in North Dakota, July 10, 2011A strong upper level jet streak moving into the region triggered scattered elevated thunderstorm activity during the late morning hours of July 10th over southwest North Dakota. Large hail up to two inches in diameter was reported with these storms.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in North Dakota, June 19 to 27, 2000Six inch diameter tree branches were blown down.
- Flood in North Dakota, April 16 to 20, 1997The 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.
- Flood and Hail in North Dakota, July 4, 1999Several trees around town were blown down.
- Flooding in North Dakota, May 1 to 31, 2011This 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 Saskatchewan, Canada, as well.
- Flooding in North Dakota, September 1 to 30, 1999After peaking at 1444.77 feet MSL in 1998, the 1999 Devils Lake lake level rose roughly another 2 feet and fluctuated around 1447.00 feet MSL . This presented more challenges and problems to the people surrounding the lake.
- Flood in North Dakota, April 8 to 10, 1997Record levels on the Sheyenne River forced the closing of Interstate 29 near Harwood. New records were set on the Sheyenne at Kindred on the 8th, West Fargo on the 9th, and Harwood on the 10th.
- Flooding in North Dakota, August 1 to 31, 2001Devils Lake rose to a new record stage of 1448.10 feet on August 9th. The lake now covered 129,000 acres and was beginning to flow into Stump Lake at about 20 cfs. Highway 1 near Stump Lake was close to being flooded.
- Flood in North Dakota, April 5 to 8, 1997The rising Red River filled parts of Wahpeton with water, which froze in place as the temperature dropped. Floodfighters had to sandbag during the blizzard to try to save parts of the city. Many Richland county roads washed out or were closed due to the high water.
- Flooding in North Dakota, June 2 to 30, 2011This 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.
- Flooding in North Dakota, April 21 to 24, 1997Snowmelt caused lakes, coulees, and ditches to fill with water, running toward Devils Lake. The 3 coulees running into Devils Lake experienced record flows. 80 percent of the county roads were estimated to be under water at some point.
- Flooding in North Dakota, April 1 to 25, 2009Western and central North Dakota experienced a snowy winter of 2008-2009. Bismarck, for example, had the snowiest December on record, which was also the snowiest month ever on record, with 33.3 inches of snow in December 2008.
- Flooding in North Dakota, March 6 to April 1, 2009This devastating flooding continued into April, and in some cases worsened. Western and central North Dakota experienced a snowy winter of 2008-2009.
- Flood in North Dakota, April 13 to 16, 1997A second crest on the Red River at Wahpeton occurred on April 15th. Record releases from White Rock Dam, the source of the Bois de Sioux River, helped cause the second crest. The previous record release of 3770 cfs, set prior to 1997, was nearly doubled, to around 7000 cfs.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Dakota, June 26 to 30, 2009A warm front pushed northward through eastern North Dakota during the afternoon of the 26th. By the early evening, low pressure had set up over northwest South Dakota, with the warm front extending to the northeast along a line from near Bismarck to near Devils Lake.
- Flood in North Dakota, April 21 to 30, 1997The rising Red River closed Interstate 29 near Pembina. The city of Drayton was evacuated on the 22nd, but many floodfighters returned and saved most of the city by constructing a plywood dike.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in North Dakota, July 4 to 20, 1998Numerous roads in Williston impassable due to water. Parts of highways 2 and 85 also under water due to the heavy rain. Spring Brook also flooded.
More
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.