Red River flooding forecasts increase across North Dakota

Brianna Ehley and David Bailey in Reuters: The chances for major flooding at many locations along the Red River have grown, including the expectations for crests at Fargo and Grand Forks in North Dakota, the National Weather Service said on Friday. "This past week has seen a significant amount of additional rain, sleet and snow" in north central North Dakota and the central and southern parts of the Red River basin, the National Weather Service said.

The Red River has a 50 percent chance of cresting in Fargo at 40.5 feet, just short of the record 40.84 feet set in 2009 and 1.7 feet higher than the outlook set three weeks ago, it said. In Grand Forks, the Red River has about a fifty-fifty chance of reaching a crest of 51.9 feet, about 1.5 feet higher than the March 3 forecast, it said.

The National Weather Service said it sees a 10 percent chance for the Red River crest to exceed the record levels of 1997 when it hit 54.35 feet, but a better than 90 percent chance that this year will be the second highest on record….

The Red River in flood in April or May 1997 in Grand Forks, North Dakota and East Grand Forks, Minnesota