Red River Valley of the North Flood, 2009: March 26 - 43 Feet?!

"Flood forecast: New crest at Fargo up to 43 feet"
The Associated Press (March 26, 2009)

About 5:20 p.m. Central time -

"FARGO, N.D. (AP) — The National Weather Service has raised its Red River crest forecast at Fargo to as much as 43 feet as North Dakota's largest city struggles to protect itself from potentially disastrous flooding.

"Forecasters had been predicting a crest of 41 feet by Saturday afternoon at Fargo. The new guidance issued Thursday is between 41 and 42 feet, but the weather service says it could go as high as 43 feet...."

"It Could Be Worse"

Red River of the North at Fargo
National Weather Service Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service

At the rate it's rising, the Red River of the North at Fargo will go above the record crest of 40.1 feet tonight, around midnight. And keep rising.

Something that hasn't gotten into the news is that Fargo-Moorhead has bridges connecting the two cities: and states. The Convent Bridge at 52nd Avenue South is already closed.

If I'm reading the numbers right, the bottom of the 1st Avenue bridge went underwater yesterday. The Northern-Pacific and Center Avenue bridge bottoms went under earlier.

The City of Fargo has a page with information about street closings. The news isn't particularly cheerful. The N.P. Avenue Bridge closed yesterday. The 12th Avenue North Toll Bridge closed Monday, the North Broadway Bridge closed Sunday, and the 1st Avenue North bridge closed Saturday. There aren't all that many more ways to get across the Red River there, without a boat.

Interstate Highway 94 was closed earlier this month, until the occasional 10-foot drift was cleared away (WDAY). I haven't heard about I-94 being closed now. I haven't heard that it's still open, either. Still, as we say up here, it could be worse.

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2009 Red River Valley of the North Flood - It's Going to be a Big One

Historical Crests from NOAA

By height: 40.10 ft March 7, 1897 39.57 ft March 17, 1997 37.80 ft March 11, 1882 37.34 ft March 15, 1969 37.13 ft March 05, 2006 36.69 ft March 14, 2001 35.39 ft March 9, 1989 34.93 ft March 19, 1979 34.65 ft March 16, 1952 34.41 ft March 2, 1978

By Date: March 11, 1882 37.80 ft March 7, 1897 40.10 ft March 16, 1952 34.65 ft March 15, 1969 37.34 ft March 2, 1978 34.41 ft March 19, 1979 34.93 ft March 9, 1989 35.39 ft March 17, 1997 39.57 ft March 14, 2001 36.69 ft March 05, 2006 37.13 ft

List of posts about this flood:

• "Red River Valley of the North Flood, 2009"