Meanwhile, a hazardous weather outlook has been issued for eastern North Dakota, and west-central and northwest Minnesota for later today and tonight.

Scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop across the eastern part of North Dakota late this afternoon and spread east overnight. Some of the thunderstorms are expected to produce gusty winds and small hail.

As of 10:15 a.m. today, the Red River was at 15.2 feet at, the weather service reported.

Story courtesy of The Forum. See their site for the complete story.

Red River at Fargo expected to rise to minor flood level [InForum]

Figures released Thursday show the chances for minor flooding along the river at less than 33 percent in most areas. Fargo has a 53 percent chance of minor flooding, which would likely shut down only a few roads and paths. There’s a 6 percent chance of major flooding in North Dakota’s largest city.

The weather service cites favorable snowpack and frost conditions as key factors.

The weather service says there’s only a slim chance that Devils Lake will reach a record level this summer.

Story courtesy of The Forum

Chance of major flood at 6 percent for F-M [Inforum]

The move clears the way for the city to seek state money and resources to help deal with rare summer flooding.

The river this time of year normally is at about 4 1/2 feet, but a wet summer and saturated ground have kept it high after a near-record spring flood. The Valley City Times-Record reports that the river this month could reach as high as 17 1/2 feet.

A storm Monday dumped up to 7 inches of rain to the north of Lake Ashtabula, on the river just to the north of Valley City. Homeowners have been scrambling to get boats and docks out of the rising lake.

Valley City declares rare summer flood emergency [The Forum]

“If my experiences in the Red River Basin are a good guide, there is already a certain level of concern with the high water in many locations and implications for 2012,” Mark Ewens, senior hydrometeorologist technician, said Tuesday.

Usually, a wet summer has little correlation to the following spring’s flood potential. But this is more than a wet summer, he said.

“With the current wet summer, following one of the wettest years regionally, even normal rain and/or snow over the next six months will dramatically increase the 2012 spring flood threat,” Ewens said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon.

Click the link to read the rest of the story.

All signs point to another spring flood in valley [Inforum]

The Broadway Bridge from University to the Burdick Expressway also has been closed and motorists are being asked to use the bypass.

In a 12:45 p.m. news release titled “Urgent” by the Police Department:

“Preliminary reports from the Corps has upped the releases from Lake Darling to 18,000 cfs as of noon today and will go to 22,000 cfs today at 6:00 pm, and to 28,000 cfs tomorrow. This could raise the projected elevations from 1563 to 1566 at Broadway Bridge, and throughout the valley by two – three feet.

All residents outside the evacuation areas in the valley need to immediately begin the evacuation process. Water from Lake Darling to Minot is moving with more velocity, so peaks are expected to hit Minot within 24 hours of the increased releases.”

For perspective, the Red River’s peak flow through Fargo-Moorhead during the record flood of 2009 was 29,500 cfs.

Story courtesy The Forum

BREAKING NEWS: Higher crest widens Minot evacuations, closes major bridge [The Forum]

Mayor Curt Zimbelman, speaking by telephone to KXMC television, said there are several areas along the levees where officials aren’t sure they control the dikes. Officials will sound the city’s sirens when water starts overtopping the levees, and he said that’s imminent.

Zimbelman made the announcement “so people really do their last-minute thing and be prepared to move quickly,” he told the station.

The National Weather Service in Bismarck on Wednesday morning issued a flash flood warning along the Souris River from Burlington through Minot and Logan to Sawyer. The Weather Service said that means that flash flooding is occurring or imminent and it urged residents to move to higher ground.

Story courtesy of The Forum… click to read more.

Minot mayor: Water to top dikes within hour [The Forum]

Note: While Valley Flood Watch focuses on flooding in the Red River Valley, we will be adding some stories about the historic flooding in western North Dakota for the time being, due to serious circumstances in that portion of the state.

From the National Weather Service:
Heavy rainfall is becoming more likely for Monday night through Wednesday, as a moisture laden, slow moving low pressure system affects the Northern Plains. It appears the southern Red River Valley should receive from 2-3 inches of rain, with locally higher amounts. This would cause rises on area rivers, and cause Fargo to remain above flood stage.

As of Monday afternoon, NWS has a projected high level of 24.4ft. This, of course, is not as serious as the flooding experienced this spring, however a river level this high does impact several bridges and roads in the area. We will pass along the latest updates as they develop.

Red River Outlook [National Weather Service]

MINOT, ND (Minot Daily News) – Disastrous. Unstoppable. Historic. Unprecedented.

All words used to describe what city, county and state officials warn is an imminent assault on all residents of the Souris River Valley.

The highest flows ever recorded on the Souris are approaching a city whose defenses are destined to be over run. Can the city hold?

Dikes currently in place, recently improved greatly to combat high flows, are now expected to disappear under the traveling torrent. The amount of water flowing with a vengeance down the Souris River Valley is forecast to inundate Minot to a level seven to eight feet higher than the catastrophic and benchmark flood of 1969.

Saddened with that horrific knowledge, officials announced during a late afternoon press conference Monday that very little can be done to stop the powerful onslaught. Massive secondary dikes that were built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to save much of the town from the previous high on the Souris this year fall far short of defending against the impending and rapid rise of the Souris.

Mandatory evacuations were ordered Monday for all evacuation zones within Minot. Mayor Curt Zimbelman said all affected residents and businesses must vacate those areas no later than 10 p.m. Wednesday. Within minutes of the announcement residents once again began the laborious and hastened work of moving out of their homes for the second time this year.

Story courtesy The Minot Daily News… click to read the rest of the article.

‘It’s a sad day’ — Crest could be 10 feet higher than June 1 [Minot Daily News]

The contractor will make a second pass through each neighborhood a week or so after the first pass in the event that residents have not been able to move their sandbags to the edge of the road in front of their properties prior to the first pass. Bags will be picked up this week from areas affected by Red River and Wild Rice River flooding south of Fargo. Areas affected by Red River flooding north of Fargo between Highway 20 and Highway 22 will be picked up later this week and next week.

Those areas still being affected by the ongoing Sheyenne River flooding will be scheduled for pickup at a later date, dependent on the water levels receding. For further information, contact the Cass County Highway Department at (701 ) 298-2370

The bridge and portions of Second Street north of First Avenue and south of Main Avenue have been closed since April 4 because of flooding.

Water is still touching the Second Street levee, and crews will leave a small strip of clay in place as they remove the levee just in case the Red River comes back up 1 or 2 feet, said Dave Johnson, Fargo’s deputy city engineer.

It took crews working around the clock 3½ days to install the levee, so Johnson estimated it will take five or six days to remove it “if the water cooperates.”

Story courtesy The Forum… click the link to read more.

Crews begin removal of Fargo’s Second Street levee [Inforum]