Flood in Cass, North Dakota

The winter brought 52.5 inches of snow to the Fargo-Moorhead area, which was above the average of 40 inches. The snow water content over Cass county ranged from 2.5 to 3.5 inches. A heavy rain event on April 7th brought a widespread swath of 1 to 2 inches of rain to the Red River basin. This rain event, along with the snowmelt runoff, contributed to the crest of 36.69 feet in Fargo on the 14th of April. This was the 4th highest crest ever at Fargo. Another rain event on the 11th and 12th, and a winter storm that brought 7.9 inches of snow on the 22nd and 23rd, helped keep the Maple, Rush, Sheyenne, and Red Rivers high for nearly the whole month. The flooding caused heavy damage to the roads, streets, and bridges in Cass county. The West Fargo Diversion channel was opened on April 4th, reaching a crest of 22.13 feet on the 11th. This was the second highest crest in the diversion's short life span. The area north of West Fargo to Harwood turned into a big lake once again, surrounding many homes with water. One link to Moorhead was closed due to high water, which was the 1st Avenue North bridge. One section of temporary dike failed along the Red River in Fargo, flooding the El Zagal Golf Course. Another temporary dike was built along 64th Avenue South in Fargo, to prevent the overland flooding that caused major havoc to Fargo during the record flood of 1997. The West Fargo Airport was temporarily closed when water rose over its runway.