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NOAA News || NOAA Home Page || Previous Story FLOOD ATTENTION SHIFTS FROM RED RIVER TO MISSISSIPPI AND TRIBUTARIES
"We're not out of the woods yet because the river level is going to stay high for several days, but the crest has passed for many of the communities on the Red River of the North," Meteorologist in Charge Lee Anderson said at the Grand Forks National Weather Service office Monday. "Fortunately for the residents of Wahpeton/Breckenridge, Fargo/Morehead and Grand Forks/East Grand Forks, the rainstorms late last week dropped a little less precipitation over the northern portion of the (Red River) Valley than had been anticipated, said Anderson. "We got a little bit of relief from warm temperatures and the release of water from upstream reservoirs was kept relatively low. All that contributed to slightly lower crests than had been anticipated along the Red. The crests stayed below levels to which the communities in North Dakota and Minnesota had protected their residents." Anderson added, "The water will remain high for the next several days, so local officials will have to keep a close watch on the dikes in case any show signs of weakening, but the worst should have passed last weekend. We don't see any significant precipitation until possibly the end of this week, which might give time for the river levels to drop before we get more rain." The Red River of the North crested in Wahpeton, N.D., at just above 17 feet last Friday. Fargo crested Saturday at 36.7 feet and Grand Forks crested the same day at 44.8 feet. Flood level, the point when flooding begins, is 10 feet in Wahpeton, 17 feet in Fargo and 28 feet in Grand Forks. Weather service river forecasters are focusing on the Mississippi, Minnesota, and James Rivers, among other tributaries, all of which are experiencing major flooding in certain stretches. The La Crosse, Wis., Weather Service Office issued flood warnings along the Mississippi River last week and urged residents to avoid driving or walking into moving flood waters. The Mississippi was at 19.77 feet at 9 p.m. Sunday in Lake City, Wis., with moderate flooding under way. Flood stage is 16 feet. The river is forecast to crest at 20.7 feet around 1 p.m. Tuesday EDT. Wabasha, at 18.03 feet, and La Crosse, at 15.60 feet, were both experiencing major flooding Sunday night with the crest at Wabasha forecast to be near 18.8 feet Tuesday afternoon and at 17 feet around 7 a.m. Wednesday. Heavy rains last week brought flooding to South Dakota, where the James and Big Sioux Rivers are experiencing major flooding. The Sioux Falls weather service office continues to coordinate with local and state officials, though many communities took steps following 1997 floods to mitigate the affects of high water. As was forecast by the weather Service, State Highway 81 near Scotland was closed by high water. The Quad Cities weather forecast office in Davenport, Iowa, has forecast major to near-record flooding for many points along the Mississippi River. The forecast calls for a near-record crest in Quad Cities—the possibility of the second-highest crests ever at points from Davenport upstream to Dubuque—and the third or fourth highest crests downstream of Davenport. Weather Service forecasters at Quad Cities, Des Moines, and La Crosse are keeping local and county governments, as well as the Iowa Division of Emergency Management, advised of the flood threat through conference calls. Flooding on the Minnesota River was apparently responsible for one death Sunday morning, when two individuals were swept away when their car stalled after they drove around a flood barrier on Highway 101 in Shakopee, Minnesota. One passenger was rescued, but the other is missing. "We cannot stress enough
how dangerous flood waters can be," Weather
Service Central Region Director Dennis McCarthy said from
his Kansas City, Mo., office. "We constantly warn against
driving into moving water because the consequences are just too
dire. The best advice I can give about flood water is to stay
away from it." NOAA's
National Weather Service Central Region
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April 16, 2001 —