Flooding Increasing This Week

Animation of the Red River at Fargo, N.D. from Apr. 22-28. (Credit: USGS/City of Fargo)

According to the National Weather Service in Grand Forks, N.D., looking at the top 15 crests all-time for which snowmelt was a prime factor, none of them occurred after April 19 in Fargo or after April 26 in E. Grand Forks.

Due to a persistently cold late winter and early spring, the crests this year are well past those dates.

How cold has it been?

Fargo finally recorded their first high at least in the 50s Friday, April 26. In an incredibly warm spring of 2012, Fargo had already registered 41 days with highs at least 50 degrees by April 25. Eleven of those days were at least in the 70s!

Grand Forks went over a month and a half (48 straight days) without a single day warmer than average!That streak finally ended Saturday, April 27, with a high of 70 and a low of 43, putting the daily mean temperature (57) nine degrees above average.

Fargo Red River Forecast

View of the Red River at Grand Forks, N.D. Image is updated daily. (Credit: USGS)

This run of warmer temperatures recently has led to rapid snowmelt across the region. According to the National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center, the percentage of its "Upper Midwest" region covered in snow fell from 91.9 percent on April 23 to just 6.0 percent by April 30. (This region stretches from eastern edge of the Northern Rockies across the Dakotas and Minnesota to central Wisconsin.)

(FORECASTS: Fargo/Moorhead | Grand Forks)

On Tuesday morning, April 23, the Red River at Wahpeton, N.D. became the first location along any stretch of the river to rise above flood stage. Thursday morning, the river first rose above flood stage in Fargo/Moorhead. Then, early Friday, the Red River first rose above flood stage at East Grand Forks, Minn.

The river has already crested at Wahpeton, having reached 14.39 feet on Friday, April 27. This was about five feet below the 1997 record crest and 1.3 feet lower than the 2011 crest. The river is slowly falling there and should be back within its banks by the weekend of May 4-5. (MORE: River Gauge Status)

The National Weather Service is forecasting flooding in the next several days at the following river gauges on the Red River:

Red River at Fargo/Moorhead: The river reached "major flood stage" (30 feet) Sunday evening. Cresting near 33.3 feet Wednesday. This is five and a half feet below the 2011 crest and about 7.5 feet below the 2009 record crest. (MORE: River Gauge Status)Red River at E. Grand Forks: Cresting around 40.9 feet Wednesday and should slowly fall later this week. This nearly nine feet lower than the 2011 crest and 13.4 feet below the 1997 crest.(MORE: River Gauge Status)Red River at Pembina (near the Canadian border): Should approach 50 feet by May 8. The top three crests at Pembina are 51.92 feet in April 2011; 52.71 feet in April 2009; and 54.94 feet in April 1997. (MORE: River Gauge Status)

(WeatherREADY: Prepare for a flood)

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Past Red River Flood Photos