2009 North Dakota floods

Natural disaster in North Dakota, United States February 2025 The US State of North Dakota experienced significant flooding in its major river basins in 2009, following abnormally heavy winter snows atop saturated and frozen ground. 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,Nelson Tim Record flood can be traced to summer and fall rains Minnesota Public Radio March 27, 2009 http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/03/27/floodforecast_timeline/ 31 March 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090331104137/http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/03/27/floodforecast_timeline/ 31 March 2009 live and additional precipitation from a rain storm on March 22 and a later snowstorm, are reasons for the serious flooding.March 17, 2009 Flood fears spreading through southern Manitoba CBC News https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/flood-fears-spreading-through-southern-manitoba-1.849796 2008-03-22Dave Kolpack March 21, 2009 ND city scrambles to prepare for record flooding The Associated Press https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hTfXOcr5gkVuKz4mlVLkqXbopJtQD972KGBG0 https://web.archive.org/web/20090324101242/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hTfXOcr5gkVuKz4mlVLkqXbopJtQD972KGBG0 dead March 24, 2009 2008-03-22 Heavy snowfalls fell in the state toward the end of March, adding to the existing snowpack.Matt McKinney Bill McAuliffe Allie Shah March 25, 2009 In Fargo, a race against the river Star Tribune http://www.startribune.com/local/41822192.html?elr=KArksUUUycaEacyU 2008-03-25 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090329103022/http://www.startribune.com/local/41822192.html?elr=KArksUUUycaEacyU March 29, 2009 Flooding Beulah and Hazen were affected by the Knife River and Spring Creek floods.http://www.kfyrtv.com/news_stories.asp?news=28536 Hazen Flooding Aftermath on KFYR-TV North Dakota's NBC News Leader 2009-03-31 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110524074119/http://www.kfyrtv.com/news_stories.asp?news=28536 2011-05-24http://www.kfyrtv.com/news_stories.asp?news=28275 Beulah Watching Flood Waters on KFYR-TV North Dakota's NBC News Leader 2009-03-31 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110524074128/http://www.kfyrtv.com/news_stories.asp?news=28275 2011-05-24 Linton was affected by Big Beaver Creek floods.http://www.kfyrtv.com/News_Stories.asp?news=28480 Linton Flooding on KFYR-TV North Dakota's NBC News Leader 2009-03-31 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110524074145/http://www.kfyrtv.com/News_Stories.asp?news=28480 2011-05-24 Barlow, Carrington, Napoleon was affected by overland flooding from heavy snowmelt. Mott was affected by the Cannonball River floods.http://www.kfyrtv.com/news_stories.asp?news=28264 Mott Under Water on KFYR-TV North Dakota's NBC News Leader 2009-03-31 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110524074150/http://www.kfyrtv.com/news_stories.asp?news=28264 2011-05-24 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.Crews Blow Up Ice Jam on Missouri River https://web.archive.org/web/20110524074102/http://www.kfyrtv.com/news_stories.asp?news=28403 2011-05-24 It was successful.Demolition A Success https://web.archive.org/web/20110524074112/http://www.kfyrtv.com/news_stories.asp?news=28428 2011-05-24 . Flooding would cause problems south of the Bismarck Expressway and west of Washington Street. Souris River July 2010 Red River 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 m at Fargo by March 29, the river in fact crested at 40.82 ft m at 12:15 a.m. March 28,Fargo mayor: More levees will be breached National Public Radio https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102481786 March 29, 2009 (AP) and started a slow decline.Daily and Hourly Changes in Level for the Red River at Fargo, ND https://moist.dreamhosters.com/flood/level2009/ The river continued to rise to the north as the crest moved downstream.Real-time water data for Red River of the North at Pembina, ND, United States Geological Survey, March 29, 2009 Predictions and preparations Wahpeton Early predictions for the Wahpeton area saw a predicted level of at least 16 ft m.March 16, 2009 Wahpeton-Breckenridge Flood Outlook Kvly-Tv http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29687890/ 2008-03-27 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090331132525/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29687890/ March 31, 2009 By March 24, the National Weather Service predicted the crest in Wahpeton and Breckenridge not to top 18 ft m, below the cities' levees.Dave Kolpack March 24, 2009 Lower projection on Red upstream may help Fargo The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead Fargo area thumb|left|150px|A line of sandbagging volunteers in Fargo, North Dakota. thumb|right|HESCO collapsible barriers were used to prevent flooding 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 m and 36 ft m.March 10, 2009 Fargo stands 50-50 chance of major flooding The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead 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.Hoeven Declares Statewide Flood Emergency Governor of North Dakota March 16, 2009 http://governor.state.nd.us/media/news-releases/2009/03/090316.html 2008-03-27 On March 19, the National Weather Service raised the predicted flood level in the Fargo area to between 37 ft m and 40 ft m. The city began filling sandbags on March 20.March 20, 2009 Fargo residents rushing to fill sandbags for flood onslaught Winnipeg Free Press In anticipation of a rain and snow storm, the predicted crest level was raised on March 22 to a range from 39 ft m to 41 ft m.March 22, 2009 Crest predictions rise: 52.5 feet in GF; 41 feet in Fargo Grand Forks Herald http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/111752/ 2008-03-27June 2017 InternetArchiveBot yes Volunteers continued preparing sandbags, with 560,000 bags filled by late March 22 out of an expected 1.5 million to 2 million needed.March 23, 2009 'Fear is setting in' as sandbag volunteers desperately needed in flood fight The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/235002/ 2008-03-23 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.Chris Welch March 25, 2009 Flood warnings issued; N. Dakota braces for record deluge CNN.com https://www.cnn.com/2009/US/weather/03/25/north.dakota.flooding/index.html 2008-03-25 A levee in Georgetown, Minnesota was raised another two feet, and emergency dikes were being built in Fargo, Moorhead, Harwood, Grafton and Richland County.Patrick Springer March 22, 2009 Race against time: Flood-fighting efforts intensify as storm threatens area The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/234861/ 2008-03-22 The predicted flood crest was raised again on March 26, changed to between 41 ft m and 42 ft m by March 28, with a possibility of 43 ft m. thumb|150px|Volunteers fill sandbags in the Fargodome. 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.FLOOD UPDATE: Fargo Public Schools slated to resume next Monday Smith Kelly Fargo Forum 2009-03-30 http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/235802/ At 7:15 P.M. CDT on March 26, 2009, the river exceeded the 1997 crest of 39.57 ft m at Fargo, which was the previous second-highest crest. The projected crest is 24 ft m above flood stage and higher than the record-setting floods in 1997 and 1897.Patrick Springer March 23, 2009 Forecast flood crest earlier, higher than first thought The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/234981/ 2008-03-23 Grand Forks In the Grand Forks, North Dakota area, flood predictions released February 27 predicted a possibility of a flood crest between 44 ft m and 46 ft m. The snow storm that struck March 9–10 raised the predicted levels between 47 ft m and 50 ft m prompting the city to declare a state of emergency.Ryan Johnson March 11, 2009 New snow will impact flood outlook Grand Forks Herald http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/110202/ https://archive.today/20130216043658/http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/110202/ dead February 16, 2013 2008-03-27 On March 22 the predicted crest level was changed to 52 ft m. 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.NWS Grand Forks, ND 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.March 26, 2009 Cold temperatures slowing rise of the Red River: U.S. forecaster CBC News https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/cold-temperatures-slowing-rise-of-the-red-river-u-s-forecaster-1.832111 2009-03-27 https://web.archive.org/web/20090328111707/https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/cold-temperatures-slowing-rise-of-the-red-river-u-s-forecaster-1.832111 28 March 2009 live See also Red River Flood (disambiguation) Notes 2 External links National Weather Service – River Gauges for the Red River Valley USGS Real-Time Water Data for Red River of the North at Fargo ND, including gage height and discharge rate Boston.com Big Picture series A wiki which has been set up to facilitate information exchange during the flood FEMA North Dakota Flooding Response Page North Dakota Floods Category:Natural disasters in North Dakota