WEST FARGO — Cass County officials are urging rural residents to prepare for major flooding along the Sheyenne and Maple rivers north of West Fargo, through Harwood, and toward Argusville.
The Sheyenne and Maple rivers are expected to see a rapid rise starting Monday, April 6, that will continue through at least Wednesday, April 8, as above-freezing temperatures rapidly melt snow left by last week’s snowstorm, Cass County officials said in a statement.
The National Weather Service predicts that the Sheyenne River at Harwood will crest Thursday, April 9, at 91.3 feet, the statement from Cass County said.
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That level would match the spring flood of 2019, which ranked sixth among the top 10 floods on record for that location.
The No. 1 flood was 92.02 feet in April 1997, while No. 10 flood was 90.04 feet in March 1995.
The rapid melt is also expected to cause the Maple River to crest at 22.5 feet at Mapleton, which would be about six inches above this spring's initial crest at 22.05 feet on March 29. The anticipated second crest at Mapleton would place it among the community's top 10 floods, according to the statement released by Cass County officials, who warned rural residents to expect significant overland flooding.
If the second crest at Mapleton hits 22.5 feet, it would rank No. 7 among the top 10 floods. The No. 1 flood was 23.43 feet in April 2006, and the No. 10 flood was 19.71 feet in June 2007.
Rural Cass County residents who have sandbagged their homes or lost access to their homes in past floods should be prepared for similar conditions over the next week, officials said.
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Cass County has about 90,000 sandbags that are filled and ready to be deployed, and the county has delivered about 20,000 sandbags.
Rural Cass County residents can order filled sandbags by filling out an online form at www.casscountynd.gov or calling the county's Flood Hotline at 701-241-8000.
The county will try to deliver 1,000 sandbags per home, depending on availability.
Air boat and rescue response teams are on call and ready, according to county officials.
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In Fargo, the Red River initially crested in the moderate flood stage at 28.2 feet on April 2.
According to National Weather Service projections, the second crest in Fargo is forecast to be somewhere between 27 and 28 feet on Thursday or Friday.
The Red River reached 34.7 feet in Fargo in 2019.
The Wild Rice River at Abercrombie, N.D., is expected to reach a second crest at about 17.5 feet between Thursday and Friday. The initial crest was about 18 feet on March 30.
