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Red River of the North at Hickson

Highest listed crest 39.04 ftFlood stage 30.0 ft53 crests since 1976

The Red River of the North at Hickson crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 53 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1976 to 2026. The highest, 39.04 ft on March 26, 2009, was major flooding, 9.04 feet above flood stage. 5 other gauges on the Red River of the North crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
39.04 ft
March 26, 2009; 23,700 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
30.0 ft
Major flooding from 38.0 ft
Crests at major
1
65th of 120 gauges in Minnesota
Most recent flood crest
April 5, 2019
34.27 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Clay County
Near Fargo (14.3 mi), Moorhead (14.4 mi), West Fargo (14.5 mi)

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 Hickson
Action stage28.06Apr 19, 2023The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)30.04Apr 29, 2013Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage34.07Apr 5, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage38.01Mar 26, 2009Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

53 crests from 1976 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 Hickson, 1976 to 2026 10203040ft Flood stage 30.0 ftMajor 38.0 ft Mar 31, 1976: 16.94 ft, below flood stage; 2,500 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1977: 10.30 ft, below flood stage; 408 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1978: 33.54 ft, minor flooding; 9,200 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1979: 33.03 ft, minor flooding; 9,600 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1980: 19.13 ft, below flood stage; 3,250 cubic feet per secondAug 4, 1981: 10.41 ft, below flood stage; 544 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1982: 23.07 ft, below flood stage; 4,200 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1983: 11.08 ft, below flood stage; 824 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1984: 25.58 ft, below flood stage; 5,100 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1985: 18.71 ft, below flood stage; 3,680 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1986: 27.27 ft, below flood stage; 6,720 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1987: 15.34 ft, below flood stage; 2,460 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1988: 10.97 ft, below flood stage; 826 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1989: 35.81 ft, moderate flooding; 12,900 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1990: 11.26 ft, below flood stage; 857 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 1991: 16.15 ft, below flood stage; 2,820 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1992: 13.62 ft, below flood stage; 1,750 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1993: 28.30 ft, action stage; 6,400 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1994: 26.43 ft, below flood stage; 6,320 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1995: 29.63 ft, action stage; 8,000 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1996: 28.26 ft, action stage; 6,290 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1997: 37.60 ft, moderate floodingFeb 28, 1998: 21.06 ft, below flood stage; 4,590 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1999: 19.24 ft, below flood stageJun 9, 1999: 18.52 ft, below flood stage; 3,700 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 2000: 16.90 ft, below flood stageApr 13, 2001: 35.80 ft, moderate floodingJul 14, 2002: 18.75 ft, below flood stage; 3,780 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 2003: 20.69 ft, below flood stage; 4,390 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 2004: 16.51 ft, below flood stageSep 27, 2004: 16.46 ft, below flood stage; 3,140 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 2005: 28.48 ft, action stageApr 3, 2006: 36.40 ft, moderate flooding; 14,400 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2007: 32.08 ft, minor flooding; 9,410 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 2008: 19.55 ft, below flood stage; 3,910 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 2009: 39.04 ft, major flooding; 23,700 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 2010: 36.15 ft, moderate flooding; 12,200 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2011: 37.15 ft, moderate flooding; 13,900 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2012: 16.60 ft, below flood stage; 2,890 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2013: 33.89 ft, minor flooding; 11,100 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2014: 28.19 ft, action stage; 7,240 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2015: 18.65 ft, below flood stage; 3,600 cubic feet per secondJul 14, 2016: 14.28 ft, below flood stage; 2,050 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2017: 22.51 ft, below flood stage; 3,880 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2018: 17.46 ft, below flood stageApr 5, 2019: 34.27 ft, moderate flooding; 11,700 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2020: 25.53 ft, below flood stageMar 12, 2021: 14.75 ft, below flood stageMay 13, 2022: 25.01 ft, below flood stage; 6,030 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2023: 28.22 ft, action stage; 7,220 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2024: 21.39 ft, below flood stage; 4,560 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 2025: 18.94 ft, below flood stage; 3,900 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 2026: 16.11 ft, below flood stage Highest, 39.04 ft, Mar 26, 2009 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Red River of the North at Hickson 1970s: 2 1980s: 1 1990s: 1 2000s: 4 4 2010s: 4 2020s: 0 1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 53 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Red River of the North at Hickson
1Mar 26, 200939.04+9.04Major23,700
2Apr 16, 199737.60+7.60Moderate—
3Apr 7, 201137.15+7.15Moderate13,900
4Apr 3, 200636.40+6.40Moderate14,400
5Mar 19, 201036.15+6.15Moderate12,200
6Apr 7, 198935.81+5.81Moderate12,900
7Apr 13, 200135.80+5.80Moderate—
8Apr 5, 201934.27+4.27Moderate11,700
9Apr 29, 201333.89+3.89Minor11,100
10Apr 2, 197833.54+3.54Minor9,200
11Apr 18, 197933.03+3.03Minor9,600
12Jun 7, 200732.08+2.08Minor9,410
13Mar 20, 199529.63−0.37Action8,000
14Jun 17, 200528.48−1.52Action—
15Apr 3, 199328.30−1.70Action6,400
16Apr 14, 199628.26−1.74Action6,290
17Apr 19, 202328.22−1.78Action7,220
18Jun 22, 201428.19−1.81Action7,240
19Apr 1, 198627.27−2.73Below flood stage6,720
20Apr 1, 199426.43−3.57Below flood stage6,320
21Mar 31, 198425.58−4.42Below flood stage5,100
22Mar 31, 202025.53−4.47Below flood stage—
23May 13, 202225.01−4.99Below flood stage6,030
24Apr 4, 198223.07−6.93Below flood stage4,200
25Feb 24, 201722.51−7.49Below flood stage3,880
26Jun 6, 202421.39−8.61Below flood stage4,560
27Feb 28, 199821.06−8.94Below flood stage4,590
28Jun 29, 200320.69−9.31Below flood stage4,390
29May 4, 200819.55−10.45Below flood stage3,910
30Mar 22, 199919.24−10.76Below flood stage—
31Apr 4, 198019.13−10.87Below flood stage3,250
32May 23, 202518.94−11.06Below flood stage3,900
33Jul 14, 200218.75−11.25Below flood stage3,780
34Jun 3, 198518.71−11.29Below flood stage3,680
35Jun 1, 201518.65−11.35Below flood stage3,600
36Jun 9, 199918.52−11.48Below flood stage3,700
37Apr 15, 201817.46−12.54Below flood stage—
38Mar 31, 197616.94−13.06Below flood stage2,500
39Mar 8, 200016.90−13.10Below flood stage—
40Apr 18, 201216.60−13.40Below flood stage2,890
41Jun 3, 200416.51−13.49Below flood stage—
42Sep 27, 200416.46−13.54Below flood stage3,140
43Jul 5, 199116.15−13.85Below flood stage2,820
44Mar 24, 202616.11−13.89Below flood stage—
45Mar 26, 198715.34−14.66Below flood stage2,460
46Mar 12, 202114.75−15.25Below flood stage—
47Jul 14, 201614.28−15.72Below flood stage2,050
48Mar 10, 199213.62−16.38Below flood stage1,750
49Apr 2, 199011.26−18.74Below flood stage857
50Mar 19, 198311.08−18.92Below flood stage824

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.

March 26, 2009: 39.04 ft here, major flooding

  • Grand ForksND · Apr 1, 2009 · 49.33 ft · Major
  • FargoND · Mar 28, 2009 · 40.84 ft · Major · its highest
  • HalstadMN · Mar 30, 2009 · 40.63 ft · Major
  • OsloMN · Apr 1, 2009 · 38.37 ft · Major · its highest
  • WahpetonND · Mar 24, 2009 · 17.50 ft · Major

April 16, 1997: 37.60 ft here, moderate flooding

  • Grand ForksND · Apr 22, 1997 · 54.35 ft · Major · its highest
  • HalstadMN · Apr 19, 1997 · 40.74 ft · Major · its highest
  • FargoND · Apr 18, 1997 · 39.72 ft · Major
  • OsloMN · Apr 23, 1997 · 38.00 ft · Major

April 7, 2011: 37.15 ft here, moderate flooding

  • Grand ForksND · Apr 14, 2011 · 49.86 ft · Major
  • HalstadMN · Apr 12, 2011 · 40.51 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

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
Hickson this gaugeMN30.039.04 ft, Mar 26, 20091
FargoND18.040.84 ft, Mar 28, 200917
HalstadMN26.040.74 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 Clay County

Flood gauges in Clay County
Dilworth13.027.10 ft, Jul 2, 19752
Hawley8.011.30 ft, Jan 1, 19211
Sabin13.019.90 ft, Jul 2, 19753

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge HICN8, 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.