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Red River of the North at Halstad

Highest listed crest 40.74 ftFlood stage 26.0 ft93 crests since 1936

The Red River of the North at Halstad crested at major flood stage 11 times among the 93 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1936 to 2026. The highest, 40.74 ft on April 19, 1997, was major flooding, 14.74 feet above flood stage. 6 other gauges on the Red River of the North crested above flood stage within a week of it, 3 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
40.74 ft
April 19, 1997; 71,500 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
26.0 ft
Major flooding from 37.5 ft
Crests at major
11
8th of 120 gauges in Minnesota
Most recent flood crest
April 23, 2023
34.41 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Norman County
Minnesota

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Red River of the North at Halstad
Action stage24.06Apr 23, 2018The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)26.017May 2, 2022Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage32.09Apr 23, 2023Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage37.511Apr 11, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

93 crests from 1936 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Red River of the North at Halstad, 1936 to 2026 01020304050ft Flood stage 26.0 ftMajor 37.5 ft Apr 15, 1936: 16.33 ft, below flood stage; 7,670 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1937: 9.39 ft, below flood stage; 2,660 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 1942: 12.86 ft, below flood stage; 5,060 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1943: 31.31 ft, minor flooding; 21,800 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 1944: 15.79 ft, below flood stage; 7,200 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1945: 23.60 ft, below flood stage; 13,300 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1946: 19.50 ft, below flood stage; 10,000 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1947: 34.00 ft, moderate floodingApr 13, 1948: 26.78 ft, minor floodingApr 7, 1949: 16.53 ft, below flood stage; 7,710 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1950: 32.00 ft, moderate floodingApr 10, 1951: 22.43 ft, below flood stage; 12,900 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1952: 29.78 ft, minor flooding; 20,700 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1953: 22.78 ft, below flood stage; 13,600 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 1954: 11.44 ft, below flood stage; 4,660 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1955: 19.28 ft, below flood stage; 7,200 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1956: 23.67 ft, below flood stage; 12,900 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1957: 12.20 ft, below flood stage; 4,980 cubic feet per secondJul 8, 1958: 11.31 ft, below flood stage; 4,420 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1959: 10.13 ft, below flood stage; 3,780 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1960: 21.66 ft, below flood stage; 8,600 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1961: 6.96 ft, below flood stage; 1,900 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1962: 24.70 ft, action stage; 15,900 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1963: 13.14 ft, below flood stage; 5,850 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1964: 15.27 ft, below flood stage; 7,820 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1965: 35.27 ft, moderate flooding; 25,600 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1966: 35.35 ft, moderate flooding; 26,800 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1967: 22.71 ft, below flood stage; 13,800 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1968: 9.82 ft, below flood stageJun 19, 1968: 7.80 ft, below flood stage; 2,350 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1969: 38.29 ft, major flooding; 35,700 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1970: 22.36 ft, below flood stage; 11,600 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1971: 15.62 ft, below flood stage; 5,480 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1972: 28.96 ft, minor flooding; 16,200 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1973: 17.71 ft, below flood stage; 6,200 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1974: 26.72 ft, minor flooding; 17,800 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 1975: 38.55 ft, major flooding; 39,900 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1976: 23.30 ft, below flood stage; 9,950 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1977: 7.50 ft, below flood stage; 2,050 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1978: 37.61 ft, major flooding; 28,800 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1979: 39.00 ft, major flooding; 42,000 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1980: 21.98 ft, below flood stage; 12,900 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1981: 10.57 ft, below flood stage; 3,920 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1982: 27.13 ft, minor flooding; 13,200 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1983: 17.10 ft, below flood stageJul 6, 1983: 14.98 ft, below flood stage; 7,800 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1984: 29.99 ft, minor flooding; 21,900 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1985: 19.07 ft, below flood stage; 10,400 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1986: 25.89 ft, action stage; 17,400 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1987: 21.43 ft, below flood stage; 9,860 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1988: 12.57 ft, below flood stageMar 28, 1988: 12.42 ft, below flood stage; 5,010 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1989: 35.65 ft, moderate flooding; 26,000 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1990: 12.59 ft, below flood stageJul 8, 1991: 9.99 ft, below flood stage; 3,700 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1992: 15.64 ft, below flood stage; 5,200 cubic feet per secondAug 2, 1993: 30.56 ft, minor flooding; 22,500 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1994: 25.62 ft, action stageMar 31, 1995: 30.51 ft, minor flooding; 23,300 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1996: 35.11 ft, moderate flooding; 25,200 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 1997: 40.74 ft, major flooding; 71,500 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1998: 28.30 ft, minor floodingMay 20, 1998: 27.08 ft, minor flooding; 19,200 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1999: 30.46 ft, minor floodingJun 26, 2000: 31.27 ft, minor flooding; 29,100 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2001: 38.44 ft, major floodingJul 14, 2002: 21.99 ft, below flood stage; 15,000 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 2003: 18.62 ft, below flood stage; 11,900 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2004: 24.75 ft, action stage; 18,200 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 2005: 29.54 ft, minor floodingApr 6, 2006: 39.41 ft, major flooding; 43,100 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2007: 30.90 ft, minor flooding; 24,700 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2008: 21.69 ft, below flood stage; 15,300 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2009: 40.63 ft, major flooding; 67,400 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2010: 39.28 ft, major flooding; 43,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 2011: 23.11 ft, below flood stage; 13,700 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 2011: 40.51 ft, major flooding; 60,700 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 2012: 16.74 ft, below flood stage; 9,360 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 2013: 32.45 ft, moderate flooding; 28,700 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 2014: 24.53 ft, action stage; 17,900 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2015: 17.86 ft, below flood stage; 10,600 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 2016: 12.26 ft, below flood stage; 5,640 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 2017: 23.15 ft, below flood stageApr 23, 2018: 24.90 ft, action stage; 18,600 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 2019: 39.13 ft, major flooding; 40,200 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 2019: 29.16 ft, minor flooding; 22,900 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 2020: 37.40 ft, moderate flooding; 34,800 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2021: 12.20 ft, below flood stage; 3,560 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 2022: 31.83 ft, minor flooding; 25,900 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 2023: 34.41 ft, moderate flooding; 30,100 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2024: 21.00 ft, below flood stage; 13,900 cubic feet per secondAug 12, 2025: 15.49 ft, below flood stage; 8,580 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 2026: 16.38 ft, below flood stage Highest, 40.74 ft, Apr 19, 1997 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Red River of the North at Halstad 1930s: 0 1940s: 3 1950s: 2 1960s: 3 1970s: 5 1980s: 3 1990s: 7 7 2000s: 6 2010s: 5 2020s: 3 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 93 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Red River of the North at Halstad
1Apr 19, 199740.74+14.74Major71,500
2Mar 30, 200940.63+14.63Major67,400
3Apr 12, 201140.51+14.51Major60,700
4Apr 6, 200639.41+13.41Major43,100
5Mar 22, 201039.28+13.28Major43,600
6Apr 11, 201939.13+13.13Major40,200
7Apr 22, 197939.00+13.00Major42,000
8Jul 10, 197538.55+12.55Major39,900
9Apr 15, 200138.44+12.44Major—
10Apr 18, 196938.29+12.29Major35,700
11Apr 9, 197837.61+11.61Major28,800
12Apr 9, 202037.40+11.40Moderate34,800
13Apr 9, 198935.65+9.65Moderate26,000
14Mar 27, 196635.35+9.35Moderate26,800
15Apr 17, 196535.27+9.27Moderate25,600
16Apr 18, 199635.11+9.11Moderate25,200
17Apr 23, 202334.41+8.41Moderate30,100
18Apr 17, 194734.00+8.00Moderate—
19May 2, 201332.45+6.45Moderate28,700
20Apr 11, 195032.00+6.00Moderate—
21May 2, 202231.83+5.83Minor25,900
22Apr 11, 194331.31+5.31Minor21,800
23Jun 26, 200031.27+5.27Minor29,100
24Jun 20, 200730.90+4.90Minor24,700
25Aug 2, 199330.56+4.56Minor22,500
26Mar 31, 199530.51+4.51Minor23,300
27Mar 26, 199930.46+4.46Minor—
28Apr 1, 198429.99+3.99Minor21,900
29Apr 18, 195229.78+3.78Minor20,700
30Jun 17, 200529.54+3.54Minor—
31Oct 16, 201929.16+3.16Minor22,900
32Mar 24, 197228.96+2.96Minor16,200
33Mar 2, 199828.30+2.30Minor—
34Apr 9, 198227.13+1.13Minor13,200
35May 20, 199827.08+1.08Minor19,200
36Apr 13, 194826.78+0.78Minor—
37Apr 16, 197426.72+0.72Minor17,800
38Mar 31, 198625.89−0.11Action17,400
39Mar 29, 199425.62−0.38Action—
40Apr 23, 201824.90−1.10Action18,600
41Mar 29, 200424.75−1.25Action18,200
42Jun 16, 196224.70−1.30Action15,900
43Jun 25, 201424.53−1.47Action17,900
44Apr 15, 195623.67−2.33Below flood stage12,900
45Mar 23, 194523.60−2.40Below flood stage13,300
46Mar 31, 197623.30−2.70Below flood stage9,950
47Feb 26, 201723.15−2.85Below flood stage—
48Feb 27, 201123.11−2.89Below flood stage13,700
49Jun 22, 195322.78−3.22Below flood stage13,600
50Apr 23, 196722.71−3.29Below flood stage13,800

The worst floods along the Red River of the North

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Red River of the North that crested above flood stage within a week.

April 19, 1997: 40.74 ft here, major flooding

  • PembinaND · Apr 26, 1997 · 54.94 ft · Major · its highest
  • Grand ForksND · Apr 22, 1997 · 54.35 ft · Major · its highest
  • DraytonMN · Apr 24, 1997 · 45.55 ft · Major · its highest
  • FargoND · Apr 18, 1997 · 39.72 ft · Major
  • OsloMN · Apr 23, 1997 · 38.00 ft · Major
  • HicksonMN · Apr 16, 1997 · 37.60 ft · Moderate

March 30, 2009: 40.63 ft here, major flooding

  • Grand ForksND · Apr 1, 2009 · 49.33 ft · Major
  • DraytonMN · Apr 6, 2009 · 43.82 ft · Major
  • FargoND · Mar 28, 2009 · 40.84 ft · Major · its highest
  • HicksonMN · Mar 26, 2009 · 39.04 ft · Major · its highest
  • OsloMN · Apr 1, 2009 · 38.37 ft · Major · its highest
  • WahpetonND · Mar 24, 2009 · 17.50 ft · Major

April 12, 2011: 40.51 ft here, major flooding

  • Grand ForksND · Apr 14, 2011 · 49.86 ft · Major
  • DraytonMN · Apr 19, 2011 · 43.17 ft · Major
  • FargoND · Apr 9, 2011 · 38.81 ft · Major
  • OsloMN · Apr 14, 2011 · 38.09 ft · Major
  • WahpetonND · Apr 7, 2011 · 15.69 ft · Major
  • HicksonMN · Apr 7, 2011 · 37.15 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Red River of the North

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Red River of the North
WahpetonND11.019.42 ft, Apr 6, 199711
HicksonMN30.039.04 ft, Mar 26, 20091
FargoND18.040.84 ft, Mar 28, 200917
Halstad this gaugeMN26.040.74 ft, Apr 19, 199711
Grand ForksND28.054.35 ft, Apr 22, 199711
OsloMN26.038.37 ft, Apr 1, 200918
DraytonMN32.045.55 ft, Apr 24, 199711
PembinaND39.054.94 ft, Apr 26, 199711

Other gauges in Norman County

Flood gauges in Norman County
Shelly14.025.45 ft, Apr 18, 19975
Hendrum20.033.85 ft, Apr 18, 19976
Twin Valley10.017.96 ft, Jun 24, 20022

Norman County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Minnesota

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge HILN8, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.