Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Des Lacs River at Foxholm

Highest listed crest 1,655.29 ftFlood stage 1,651.0 ft45 crests since 1939

The Des Lacs River at Foxholm crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 45 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1939 to 2021. The highest, 1,655.29 ft on April 19, 1979, was major flooding, 4.29 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
1,655.29 ft
April 19, 1979; 4,260 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
1,651.0 ft
Major flooding from 1,654.0 ft
Crests at major
3
24th of 54 gauges in North Dakota
Most recent flood crest
June 5, 2013
1,653.69 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Ward County
North Dakota

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Des Lacs River at Foxholm
Action stage1,650.01Mar 24, 1976The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)1,651.04Apr 13, 2009Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage1,653.04Jun 5, 2013Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage1,654.03Jun 1, 2011Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

45 crests from 1939 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Des Lacs River at Foxholm, 1939 to 2021 163516401645165016551660ft Flood stage 1,651.0 ftMajor 1,654.0 ft Jan 1, 1939: 1,652.86 ft, minor floodingMar 24, 1947: 1,648.44 ft, below flood stage; 640 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1949: 1,652.10 ft, minor floodingApr 16, 1950: 1,647.89 ft, below flood stage; 1,010 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1951: 1,652.11 ft, minor floodingApr 1, 1952: 1,648.37 ft, below flood stage; 850 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1955: 1,647.97 ft, below flood stage; 900 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1960: 1,648.70 ft, below flood stage; 1,020 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1963: 1,647.19 ft, below flood stage; 934 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1969: 1,653.88 ft, moderate flooding; 2,460 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1970: 1,654.77 ft, major flooding; 3,660 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1972: 1,649.08 ft, below flood stage; 1,030 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1975: 1,653.12 ft, moderate flooding; 2,670 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1976: 1,650.67 ft, action stage; 1,550 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1978: 1,647.39 ft, below flood stage; 700 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 1979: 1,655.29 ft, major flooding; 4,260 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1982: 1,647.04 ft, below flood stage; 1,040 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1983: 1,647.82 ft, below flood stage; 1,000 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1995: 1,647.35 ft, below flood stage; 830 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1996: 1,653.22 ft, moderate flooding; 2,000 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1997: 1,647.48 ft, below flood stage; 830 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 1999: 1,648.48 ft, below flood stage; 1,330 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 2000: 1,642.46 ft, below flood stage; 295 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 2001: 1,641.31 ft, below flood stageApr 12, 2002: 1,641.04 ft, below flood stage; 87 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 2003: 1,641.97 ft, below flood stageJun 13, 2004: 1,641.88 ft, below flood stage; 208 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2005: 1,648.63 ft, below flood stage; 1,000 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2005: 1,648.96 ft, below flood stageApr 4, 2006: 1,640.42 ft, below flood stage; 41 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2007: 1,640.81 ft, below flood stage; 67 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2008: 1,639.69 ft, below flood stage; 12 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2009: 1,652.23 ft, minor flooding; 2,300 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2010: 1,646.92 ft, below flood stage; 1,000 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2011: 1,654.63 ft, major flooding; 3,620 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2012: 1,641.08 ft, below flood stage; 97 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2013: 1,653.69 ft, moderate flooding; 2,860 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 2014: 1,648.24 ft, below flood stage; 1,280 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 2015: 1,644.06 ft, below flood stage; 526 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2016: 1,641.32 ft, below flood stage; 124 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 2017: 1,649.21 ft, below flood stageApr 22, 2018: 1,648.47 ft, below flood stage; 1,330 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 2019: 1,646.34 ft, below flood stage; 801 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 2019: 1,644.46 ft, below flood stage; 595 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 2021: 1,639.58 ft, below flood stage; 6 cubic feet per second Highest, 1,655.29 ft, Apr 19, 1979 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Des Lacs River at Foxholm 1930s: 1 1940s: 1 1950s: 1 1960s: 1 1970s: 3 3 1980s: 0 1990s: 1 2000s: 1 2010s: 2 2020s: 0 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

Highest listed crests, Des Lacs River at Foxholm
1Apr 19, 19791,655.29+4.29Major4,260
2Apr 30, 19701,654.77+3.77Major3,660
3Jun 1, 20111,654.63+3.63Major3,620
4Apr 10, 19691,653.88+2.88Moderate2,460
5Jun 5, 20131,653.69+2.69Moderate2,860
6Apr 10, 19961,653.22+2.22Moderate2,000
7Apr 29, 19751,653.12+2.12Moderate2,670
8Jan 1, 19391,652.86+1.86Minor—
9Apr 13, 20091,652.23+1.23Minor2,300
10Apr 6, 19511,652.11+1.11Minor—
11Apr 4, 19491,652.10+1.10Minor—
12Mar 24, 19761,650.67−0.33Action1,550
13Mar 27, 20171,649.21−1.79Below flood stage—
14Mar 16, 19721,649.08−1.92Below flood stage1,030
15Jun 27, 20051,648.96−2.04Below flood stage—
16Mar 27, 19601,648.70−2.30Below flood stage1,020
17Mar 30, 20051,648.63−2.37Below flood stage1,000
18Jul 16, 19991,648.48−2.52Below flood stage1,330
19Apr 22, 20181,648.47−2.53Below flood stage1,330
20Mar 24, 19471,648.44−2.56Below flood stage640
21Apr 1, 19521,648.37−2.63Below flood stage850
22Jun 30, 20141,648.24−2.76Below flood stage1,280
23Mar 31, 19551,647.97−3.03Below flood stage900
24Apr 16, 19501,647.89−3.11Below flood stage1,010
25Mar 31, 19831,647.82−3.18Below flood stage1,000
26Mar 29, 19971,647.48−3.52Below flood stage830
27Mar 27, 19781,647.39−3.61Below flood stage700
28Mar 13, 19951,647.35−3.65Below flood stage830
29Jun 9, 19631,647.19−3.81Below flood stage934
30Apr 14, 19821,647.04−3.96Below flood stage1,040
31Mar 31, 20101,646.92−4.08Below flood stage1,000
32Mar 24, 20191,646.34−4.66Below flood stage801
33Oct 1, 20191,644.46−6.54Below flood stage595
34Mar 11, 20151,644.06−6.94Below flood stage526
35Jul 4, 20001,642.46−8.54Below flood stage295
36Mar 18, 20031,641.97−9.03Below flood stage—
37Jun 13, 20041,641.88−9.12Below flood stage208
38Jun 2, 20161,641.32−9.68Below flood stage124
39Mar 27, 20011,641.31−9.69Below flood stage—
40Mar 14, 20121,641.08−9.92Below flood stage97
41Apr 12, 20021,641.04−9.96Below flood stage87
42Jun 2, 20071,640.81−10.19Below flood stage67
43Apr 4, 20061,640.42−10.58Below flood stage41
44Jun 14, 20081,639.69−11.31Below flood stage12
45Mar 25, 20211,639.58−11.42Below flood stage6

Other gauges in Ward County

Flood gauges in Ward County
Logan1,536.01,542.12 ft, Jun 26, 20111
Minot 4NW1,562.01,573.01 ft, Jan 1, 18813
Minot-Broadway Bridge1,551.01,562.86 ft, Jun 25, 20113
Sawyer1,524.01,530.50 ft, Jun 26, 20111
Foxholm1,573.01,584.44 ft, Jun 25, 20112

Ward County: every hazard · River floods across the country · North Dakota

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge DESN8, 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.