The Red River of the North is flooding and is expected to pass 1997 levels in Fargo (40ft)

[Odin2005]

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/03/21/sandbagging_operations_shift_into_high_gear

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Fargo, N.D. (AP) — The race to fill 1.5 million sandbags to fight what could be record flooding has shifted into high gear with the addition of 225 National Guard soldiers and more cutting-edge equipment.

Volunteers were being bused in to Fargo's "Sandbag Central," a city utility building the size of a football field normally used for housing garbage trucks. About 130,000 sandbags were produced on Friday, and the operation went into 24-hour mode on Saturday.

"The first three hours this morning we produced 40,000 bags, which is ahead of yesterday's pace," said Bruce Grubb, Fargo's enterprise director. "So I'm extremely happy with that."

The latest projections from the National Weather Service say the Red River is expected to crest between 37 feet and 40 feet sometime between March 28 and April 1. Officials are nervous about a storm that's expected to drop an inch or two of rain in the Red River Valley beginning on Sunday.
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I hope all you fellow DUers here in "The Valley" stay safe.

:grouphug:

[Critters2]

1. Ed Schultz was talking about this the other day. Sounds like it's going to be bad.

:hug: to everyone in ND!!

[Odin2005]

2. Don't forget us folks on the Minnesota side!

:hi:

[Critters2]

3. Right! Sorry! Vibes to you, too!

:hug:

[rabs]

4. Is this the river that flows NORTH

into Canada?

Niece who lives at Devil's Lake once told me that it did not flow south, like "normal" U.S. rivers, but she could not explain why.

Would you know the explanation for it flowing north? Thanks.

[Strelnikov_]

5. Because it is north of the Laurentian Divide n/t

[rabs]

6. Got it. Thanks, learned something tonight

Had not heard of the Laurentian Divide

From Wikipedia:

The Laurentian Divide or Northern Divide is a continental divide dividing the direction of water flow in eastern and southern Canada and the northern Midwestern United States. Water north of the height of land flows to the Arctic Ocean by rivers to Hudson Bay or directly to the Arctic. Water south of the divide makes its way to the Atlantic Ocean by a variety of streams, including the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence River to the east, and the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico to the south

[Odin2005]

7. Simple geography.

The Red River Valley is lower then areas to the south, east, and west, the only way for the water to go is north.

[elleng]

9. Here 'tis!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0eEuDAtu2Q&feature=related

[L. Coyote]

10. Yes, and thru Grand Forks, en route to Hudson Bay, where the land is rising due to

glacial rebounding from the Ice Age weight of the glaciers.

The Red River Valley is a very flat plane, pitched a few inches per mile in what was the backwater lake of the melting glaciers.

Remember the Grand Forks flood? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_River_Flood,_1997

[madrchsod]

8. we are getting a shit load of rain again this year

the red river basin to the north and the upper mississippi basin to the south. the rock river that flows from eastern wisconsin to rock island illinois has reached over flood stage twice this year. the Illinois river for the last 2 out of 3 years has reached over historic flood stages.

we have`t started the spring rains yet.....

[L. Coyote]

11. Cooler temperatures today across North Dakota will be replaced with .....

North Dakota Flooding: Cooler temperatures today across North Dakota will be replaced with 50’s and even some 60’s (ºF) over the weekend. This warmth will continue the ongoing rapid snowmelt and river ice jams leading to major flooding in the state. By Sunday night, an approaching storm system will create some showers in North Dakota into Monday morning totaling around a half inch on average. Monday night into Tuesday could feature an accumulating snow across the region on the cold backside of the storm, but may be a heavy rain in eastern sections. Details on that potential will follow in the coming days. Snow could eventually lead to more flooding and also keeps the ground firmer, delaying spring wheat planting.

http://www.agweb.com/Blogs/BlogPost.aspx?src=StormExchange&PID=df86fe81-b70e-4f45-b367-9bdb7bff195e

[Odin2005]

12. *KICK*

[sutz12]

13. Best of luck to those in the Valley.

Those north flowing rivers are tricky, because the source thaws before the mouth. All the spring rains face an ice dam in Cananda. :shrug:

[Odin2005]

14. That's part of what happened in 1997.

The other was a ground that was saturated by rains in the Fall of 1996, a major storm that occured a few weeks prior, and the massive amounts of snow we got that winter. All those variables are in play again.