Red River of the North at Fargo, ND
River level and flood forecast · Cass County
Normal14.2 ftas of Mon 2:15 PM
The river is 3.8 ft below flood stage (18 ft).
Flow: 356 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Sun, Dec 31, 6 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 30 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 25 ft |
| Flood stage | 18 ft |
| Action stage | 17 ft |
| Record crest (March 28, 2009) | 40.84 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 40.84 ftRECORD FLOOD. March 28, 2009 (instantaneous measurement).
- 40 ft25th Street S bridge over Rose Coulee closes (Fargo).
- 39 ft36th Street S bridge and 40th Avenue S bridge over Drain 27 close (Fargo).
- 38.5 ft11th Street N is closed near 28th Avenue N (Moorhead).
- 38 ft28th Avenue North is closed at Ditch #41 (Moorhead).
- 37.5 ftOakport Street N is closed near 50th Avenue N (Moorhead).
- 37 ftConvent Bridge at 52nd Ave S is closed (Fargo).
- 36 ftPlacing of sandbags starts if the river is forecast to rise above 38 ft (Fargo).
- 34 ftNorthern Pacific Ave (Fargo)/Center Ave (Moorhead) bridge clearance.
- 33 ftWall Street Avenue N is closed (Moorhead).
- 32 ftRemovable floodwalls installed along 2nd Street (Fargo). 1st Avenue N bridge across Red River closed.
- 31 ft1st Avenue N underpass is closed (Moorhead).
- 30 ftMAJOR FLOOD.
- 28 ftRivershore Drive underpass at I-94 is closed (Moorhead). 12th Avenue N/15th Avenue N bridge over Red River is closed (Fargo/Moorhead).
- 25 ftMODERATE FLOOD. City parks and recreation areas along the river begin to flood (Fargo). All storm sewer lift stations are in operation (Fargo).
- 21 ft3rd Street underpass is closed (Moorhead).
- 19 ftLow-level dam south of Main Ave is closed (Fargo).
- 18 ftMINOR FLOOD. Elm St between 14th and 15th Ave N is closed (Fargo). Storm sewer pump stations are beginning to operate (Fargo).
- 17 ftACTION STAGE/FORECAST SERVICE STAGE. Water rises to the edge of the bike path at El Zagal bowl along Elm St N between 14th and 15th Ave (Fargo).
Highest crests on record
- 40.84 ft — March 28, 2009
- 39.72 ft — April 18, 1997
- 39.1 ft — April 7, 1897
- 38.81 ft — April 9, 2011
- 37.34 ft — April 15, 1969
Recent crests: 17.17 ft (March 25, 2026) · 19.15 ft (May 24, 2025) · 22.16 ft (May 27, 2024) · 18.64 ft (December 31, 2023) · 29.75 ft (April 22, 2023)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamRed River of the North at Hickson, ND
- DownstreamRed River of the North near Georgetown, ND
- Sheyenne River at West Fargo, ND
- Sheyenne River at West Fargo Diversion, ND
- Buffalo River (MN) near Dilworth, MN
- South Branch Buffalo River at Sabin, MN
- Sheyenne River at Harwood, ND
- Wild Rice River (ND) near St. Benedict, ND
- Sheyenne River Diversion near Horace, ND
- Sheyenne River above Sheyenne River Diversion near Horace, ND
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (FGON8); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.