North Dakota/Minnesota Red River Floods

Record flooding affected much of the Red River Valley of the North from late March through mid-April. The neighboring cities of Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota were particularly hard hit. The Red River at Fargo reached a record crest of 40.82 feet on 28 March 2009. This crest exceeded the previous record of 40.10 feet set on 7 April, 1897, and the previous modern-day crest of 39.57 feet set on 17 April, 1997.

Decision makers at the state and Federal levels were brought together at various Emergency Operations Centers to work through the impacts leading up to and during this record crest. NOAA National Weather Service offices across the upper Midwest were involved in support to many of these venues.

This presentation will highlight the impacts and scope of the 2009 Red River Flood, as well as on key activities undertaken to respond to the flood at the state and Federal levels