Spring flooding was less severe than initially expected for most northern Red River Basin communities

Apr. 27—MINTO, N.D. — Spring flooding was a manageable event for most communities in the region as rivers rose less than initially expected this year.

Earlier in the season, moderate to major flooding was expected for much of the Red River Valley, but as snowmelt continued, the risk of major flooding decreased. In Greater Grand Forks, a moderately flooded Red River caused some road closures, Greenway closures and pedestrian bridge closures, but none of the major river crossings were closed.

Oslo, Minnesota, which often becomes an island during high water, experienced major Red River flooding. Some Minnesota highways were closed, but the town remained accessible by some roads.

The Forest River at Minto was one of a few locations in the region that flooded worse than originally expected, cresting at a height of 9.25 feet on Monday, April 17, which is considered moderate flooding. Flood outlooks leading up to the crest predicted the greatest probability of minor flooding, but unpredictable ice jams caused water to rise rapidly.

Advance

preparation of sandbags

and the help of volunteers helped protect around a dozen houses in Minto and the city of Forest River during the rapid Forest River rise, said Minto Mayor Larry Jamieson.

"We're getting used to knowing how to get ready for floods on a yearly basis every spring, so this was very manageable and water came fast, but it also left fast," Jamieson said.

The Red River is still on the rise in the far northern Red River Valley. In Drayton, North Dakota, it is expected to crest around 40 feet, considered moderate flooding, over the weekend. In Pembina, North Dakota, it is expected to continue to rise into late next week, but remain in the moderate flood stage between 44 and 49 feet.

A number of factors kept the flood risk lower than initially expected, including temperature, soil moisture, frost depth and precipitation, said Amanda Lee, service hydrologist at the National Weather Service in Grand Forks.

In March, temperatures usually reach the 50s or 60s, but the region had below-normal temperatures throughout the month.

"If that would have occurred, we would have had quite a rapid melt and things would have gotten started very quickly, but that didn't end up being the case," Lee said.

Those below normal temperatures, with temperatures above freezing during the day and below freezing at night, continued through April.

"That really helps slow down that runoff, so that was a good thing," Lee said.

In the fall, the soil was dry and early snowfall insulated the ground, keeping it warmer and less frozen. Come spring, that soil thawed faster than anticipated and was able to absorb runoff.

While a few systems moved through in the spring, the month was relatively quiet precipitation-wise, and one of the

bigger storms brought snow

instead of rain.

"You don't want heavy rainfall on top of flood conditions, so as much as nobody wanted to see any more snow this time of year, it was a good thing that it did fall as snow and not rain," Lee said.

Throughout flood season, ice was the wild card, with ice jams on rivers causing rapid rises. Lee said forecasters are unable to forecast how and when ice will impact flooding.

"We could say that there was a possibility for ice to kind of mess with things and make river levels higher than expected, but we have no ability to forecast when and where that's going to occur."

Like Minto, Neche, North Dakota, on the Pembina River, experienced rapidly rising waters due to ice jams. The Pembina River in Neche crested at 21 feet, just over the threshold for major flooding, on Tuesday, April 18. By the next day, it had dropped back down to minor flooding, which begins at 18 feet.

"As (ice jams) built up, the water actually rose by about three feet in just a matter of hours," Neche Mayor Stuart Symington said.

When flooding started, volunteers from the community worked to prepare nearly 50 pallets of sandbags. Pembina County crews also used an excavator to break up ice jams on one of the bridges where they were building up.

Usually, Neche experiences more overland flooding in the fields around the town, including last year.

"We have to learn to see what Mother Nature does and every year it's different," Symington said.

Symington said the city is working toward getting its dikes certified, which will remove Neche from the floodplain, but more funding is needed to complete the process.

The Pembina River in Walhalla and Neche is expected to have a slight re-rise over the next few days, but is not expected to reach the minor flood stage in either location.