2009 North Dakota floods

Background

Ground which was already saturated when it froze at the onset of winter, melting snow which could not be absorbed by the frozen ground, and additional precipitation from a rain storm on March 22 and a later snowstorm, are reasons for the serious flooding. Heavy snowfalls fell in the state toward the end of March, adding to the existing snowpack.

Flooding

Beulah and Hazen were affected by the Knife River and Spring Creek floods. Linton was affected by Big Beaver Creek floods. Barlow, Carrington, Napoleon was affected by overland flooding from heavy snowmelt. Mott was affected by the Cannonball River floods. Wells County, Foster County, and Stutsman County was affected by Pipestem river. Eddy County, Foster County, Stutsman County, La Moure County, and Dickey County was affected by James River.

Ice jams

Explosives had to be used blow up an ice jam on the Missouri River North Bismarck, North Dakota in Double Ditch. It was successful. Flooding would cause problems south of the Bismarck Expressway and west of Washington Street.

Souris River

Red River

Main article: 2009 Red River flood

The 2009 Red River flood along the Red River of the North in North Dakota and Minnesota in the United States and Manitoba in Canada brought record flood levels to the Fargo-Moorhead area. The flood is a result of saturated and frozen ground, Spring snowmelt exacerbated by additional rain and snow storms, and virtually flat terrain. Communities along the Red River prepared for more than a week as the U.S. National Weather Service continuously updated the predictions for the city of Fargo, North Dakota with an increasingly higher projected river crest. Originally predicted to reach a level of near 43 ft at Fargo by March 29, the river in fact crested at 40.82 ft at 12:15 a.m. March 28, and started a slow decline. The river continued to rise to the north as the crest moved downstream.

Predictions and preparations

Wahpeton

Early predictions for the Wahpeton area saw a predicted level of at least 16 ft. By March 24, the National Weather Service predicted the crest in Wahpeton and Breckenridge not to top 18 ft, below the cities' levees.

Fargo area

Warnings for the 2009 flood occurred as early as March 9 when the National Weather Service warned that the Fargo-Moorhead area could see a significant flood of between 35 ft and 36 ft. As preparations began for the flooding on March 16, North Dakota Governor John Hoeven declared a statewide disaster in anticipation of flooding across the state. On March 19, the National Weather Service raised the predicted flood level in the Fargo area to between 37 ft and 40 ft. The city began filling sandbags on March 20. In anticipation of a rain and snow storm, the predicted crest level was raised on March 22 to a range from 39 ft to 41 ft.

Volunteers continued preparing sandbags, with 560,000 bags filled by late March 22 out of an expected 1.5 million to 2 million needed. By March 24, residents in Fargo-Moorhead had filled over 1 million sandbags and were attempting to fill a total of 2 million by the 26th. A levee in Georgetown, Minnesota was raised another two feet, and emergency dikes were being built in Fargo, Moorhead, Harwood, Grafton and Richland County. The predicted flood crest was raised again on March 26, changed to between 41 ft and 42 ft by March 28, with a possibility of 43 ft.

In addition to the sandbags the construction of the dikes protecting the city has required large amounts of clay. Clay has been brought from several places in and around the city, including the soccer field at Centennial Elementary School and around Discovery Middle School.

At 7:15 P.M. CDT on March 26, 2009, the river exceeded the 1997 crest of 39.57 ft at Fargo, which was the previous second-highest crest. The projected crest is 24 ft above flood stage and higher than the record-setting floods in 1997 and 1897.

Grand Forks

In the Grand Forks, North Dakota area, flood predictions released February 27 predicted a possibility of a flood crest between 44 ft and 46 ft. The snow storm that struck March 9–10 raised the predicted levels between 47 ft and 50 ft prompting the city to declare a state of emergency. On March 22 the predicted crest level was changed to 52 ft.

At 2:30 A.M. CDT, the National Weather Service offices in Grand Forks issued a Flash Flood Warning for extreme east-central Cass County due to a levee breach in Fargo on Linden Avenue. With the river now more than 6 meters (20 feet) above flood stage, there appears to be a growing sense in Fargo that despite best efforts, it may not be possible to build dikes high enough to hold back the river.

Notes

References

1. Nelson, Tim. (March 27, 2009). "Record flood can be traced to summer and fall rains". [[Minnesota Public Radio]].
2. (March 17, 2009). "Flood fears spreading through southern Manitoba". CBC News.
3. Kolpack, Dave. (March 21, 2009). "ND city scrambles to prepare for record flooding". The Associated Press.
4. McKinney, Matt. (March 25, 2009). "In Fargo, a race against the river". Star Tribune.
5. "Hazen Flooding Aftermath on KFYR-TV North Dakota's NBC News Leader".
6. "Beulah Watching Flood Waters on KFYR-TV North Dakota's NBC News Leader".
7. "Linton Flooding on KFYR-TV North Dakota's NBC News Leader".
8. "Mott Under Water on KFYR-TV North Dakota's NBC News Leader".
9. link. (2011-05-24)
10. link. (2011-05-24 .)
11. (March 29, 2009). "Fargo mayor: More levees will be breached". [[National Public Radio]].
12. "Daily and Hourly Changes in Level for the Red River at Fargo, ND".
13. [https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?05102490 Real-time water data for Red River of the North at Pembina, ND], [[United States Geological Survey]], March 29, 2009
14. (March 16, 2009). "Wahpeton-Breckenridge Flood Outlook". Kvly-Tv.
15. Kolpack, Dave. (March 24, 2009). "Lower projection on Red upstream may help Fargo". The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead.
16. (March 10, 2009). "Fargo stands 50-50 chance of major flooding". The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead.
17. (March 16, 2009). "Hoeven Declares Statewide Flood Emergency". Governor of North Dakota.
18. (March 20, 2009). "Fargo residents rushing to fill sandbags for flood onslaught". Winnipeg Free Press.
19. (March 22, 2009). "Crest predictions rise: 52.5 feet in GF; 41 feet in Fargo". Grand Forks Herald.
20. (March 23, 2009). "'Fear is setting in' as sandbag volunteers desperately needed in flood fight". The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead.
21. Welch, Chris. (March 25, 2009). "Flood warnings issued; N. Dakota braces for record deluge".
22. Springer, Patrick. (March 22, 2009). "Race against time: Flood-fighting efforts intensify as storm threatens area". The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead.
23. Smith, Kelly. (2009-03-30). "FLOOD UPDATE: Fargo Public Schools slated to resume next Monday". [[Fargo Forum]].
24. Springer, Patrick. (March 23, 2009). "Forecast flood crest earlier, higher than first thought". The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead.
25. Johnson, Ryan. (March 11, 2009). "New snow will impact flood outlook". Grand Forks Herald.
26. [http://www.crh.noaa.gov/fgf/ NWS Grand Forks, ND]
27. (March 26, 2009). "Cold temperatures slowing rise of the Red River: U.S. forecaster". CBC News.