Souris River Flooding
Water is moving twice as fast as past floods
At least 10,000 residents have already evacuated from at-risk parts of Minot, North Dakota, according to reports.
Hydrograph for Souris River at Minot-Broadway Bridge. Source: NWS/AHPS
Flood Categories and Historical Crests
Water is moving about twice as fast through the system as past flood event. For example, in 1969 it took about 5 days for the water to route from Estevan to Sherwood but this year it is taking about 2.5 days. Aerial reconnaissance indicates that from Estevan to Minot the valley is full of water from bluff to bluff enabling the flood wave to move more quickly as it bypasses the normal channel and the normal channel and off channel obstacles. This flood is over twice as large in terms of peak flow than the previous records all along the Souris River, and this creates uncertainty with eventual peak values. (Source: NWS)
Missouri basin reservoirs from eastern Montana t0 the Dakotas are approaching their capacity. “Reservoir water release rates are expected to stay at high release levels (150,000 cfs) into August. These extremely high flows, combined with normal rainfall, will result in near-record flooding along portions of the Missouri River.” NWS said.
Map of the Missouri River. The Missouri River begins in southern Montana in the Rocky Mountains, first flowing north then generally southeast across the heart of the United States, ending at the Mississippi River, just to the north of St. Louis, Missouri. Some 4,023 km (2,500 miles) long, it is the longest river in the United States. Source: NWS CRH
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