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James River at Jamestown

Highest listed crest 16.94 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft34 crests since 1928

The James River at Jamestown crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 34 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1928 to 2021. The highest, 16.94 ft on April 11, 1969, was major flooding, 4.94 feet above flood stage. 6 other gauges on the James River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
16.94 ft
April 11, 1969; 6,330 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.0 ft
Major flooding from 16.0 ft
Crests at major
1
37th of 54 gauges in North Dakota
Most recent flood crest
October 28, 2019
13.24 ft, minor flooding
Location
Stutsman County
Near Jamestown (1.3 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, James River at Jamestown
Action stage11.08Apr 1, 2010The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.07Oct 28, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage14.04May 4, 2009Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage16.01Apr 11, 1969Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

34 crests from 1928 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the James River at Jamestown, 1928 to 2021 05101520ft Flood stage 12.0 ftMajor 16.0 ft Jul 5, 1928: 12.40 ft, minor flooding; 786 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1929: 14.20 ft, moderate flooding; 1,100 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1930: 11.80 ft, action stage; 580 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1932: 12.38 ft, minor flooding; 722 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1933: 11.78 ft, action stage; 642 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1950: 15.73 ft, moderate flooding; 6,120 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 1952: 11.12 ft, action stage; 1,620 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1960: 11.76 ft, action stage; 1,710 cubic feet per secondJul 20, 1962: 11.42 ft, action stage; 1,630 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1965: 11.50 ft, action stage; 1,650 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1966: 15.18 ft, moderate flooding; 2,290 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1969: 16.94 ft, major flooding; 6,330 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 1993: 13.58 ft, minor flooding; 1,300 cubic feet per secondJul 8, 1995: 10.78 ft, below flood stage; 1,470 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1996: 10.47 ft, below flood stage; 1,380 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1997: 9.97 ft, below flood stageApr 18, 1997: 12.04 ft, minor floodingSep 1, 1997: 11.30 ft, action stageJun 18, 2007: 8.86 ft, below flood stageJul 23, 2008: 6.81 ft, below flood stage; 543 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 2009: 14.13 ft, moderate flooding; 3,240 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 2010: 11.22 ft, action stage; 1,830 cubic feet per secondSep 20, 2011: 13.01 ft, minor flooding; 2,470 cubic feet per secondOct 11, 2011: 12.99 ft, minor floodingApr 27, 2012: 4.92 ft, below flood stage; 258 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2013: 9.59 ft, below flood stage; 1,300 cubic feet per secondAug 16, 2014: 8.46 ft, below flood stage; 1,010 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 2015: 6.97 ft, below flood stage; 700 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 2016: 6.93 ft, below flood stage; 619 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 2017: 6.84 ft, below flood stage; 671 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2018: 5.91 ft, below flood stage; 483 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 2019: 7.96 ft, below flood stage; 954 cubic feet per secondOct 28, 2019: 13.24 ft, minor flooding; 2,530 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2021: 4.42 ft, below flood stage; 197 cubic feet per second Highest, 16.94 ft, Apr 11, 1969 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, James River at Jamestown 1920s: 2 1930s: 1 1940s: 0 1950s: 1 1960s: 2 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 2 2000s: 1 2010s: 3 3 2020s: 0 1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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.
  3. 3 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 12.77 ft on Mar 31, 1943; 14.31 ft on Apr 23, 1948; 15.82 ft on May 13, 1950.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, James River at Jamestown
1Apr 11, 196916.94+4.94Major6,330
2Apr 17, 195015.73+3.73Moderate6,120
3Mar 19, 196615.18+3.18Moderate2,290
4Mar 14, 192914.20+2.20Moderate1,100
5May 4, 200914.13+2.13Moderate3,240
6Jul 16, 199313.58+1.58Minor1,300
7Oct 28, 201913.24+1.24Minor2,530
8Sep 20, 201113.01+1.01Minor2,470
9Oct 11, 201112.99+0.99Minor—
10Jul 5, 192812.40+0.40Minor786
11Feb 28, 193212.38+0.38Minor722
12Apr 18, 199712.04+0.04Minor—
13Mar 11, 193011.80−0.20Action580
14Feb 28, 193311.78−0.22Action642
15Mar 27, 196011.76−0.24Action1,710
16Apr 12, 196511.50−0.50Action1,650
17Jul 20, 196211.42−0.58Action1,630
18Sep 1, 199711.30−0.70Action—
19Apr 1, 201011.22−0.78Action1,830
20Apr 8, 195211.12−0.88Action1,620
21Jul 8, 199510.78−1.22Below flood stage1,470
22Apr 29, 199610.47−1.53Below flood stage1,380
23Apr 5, 19979.97−2.03Below flood stage—
24Jun 20, 20139.59−2.41Below flood stage1,300
25Jun 18, 20078.86−3.14Below flood stage—
26Aug 16, 20148.46−3.54Below flood stage1,010
27Sep 30, 20197.96−4.04Below flood stage954
28May 17, 20156.97−5.03Below flood stage700
29Aug 10, 20166.93−5.07Below flood stage619
30May 8, 20176.84−5.16Below flood stage671
31Jul 23, 20086.81−5.19Below flood stage543
32Jun 2, 20185.91−6.09Below flood stage483
33Apr 27, 20124.92−7.08Below flood stage258
34Jun 8, 20214.42−7.58Below flood stage197

The worst floods along the James River

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

April 11, 1969: 16.94 ft here, major flooding

  • ScotlandSD · Apr 13, 1969 · 18.55 ft · Major
  • RedfieldSD · Apr 13, 1969 · 24.93 ft · Moderate
  • ForestburgSD · Apr 9, 1969 · 17.16 ft · Moderate
  • HuronSD · Apr 13, 1969 · 16.70 ft · Moderate
  • LaMoureND · Apr 14, 1969 · 16.17 ft · Moderate
  • Grace CityND · Apr 13, 1969 · 12.00 ft · Minor

March 19, 1966: 15.18 ft here, moderate flooding

  • LaMoureND · Mar 21, 1966 · 14.85 ft · Minor
  • ForestburgSD · Mar 15, 1966 · 13.00 ft · Minor
  • HuronSD · Mar 22, 1966 · 12.15 ft · Minor

March 14, 1929: 14.20 ft here, moderate flooding

  • HuronSD · Mar 20, 1929 · 12.00 ft · Minor

Gauges on the James River

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

Flood gauges on the James River
Grace CityND12.017.74 ft, Apr 17, 20093
KensalND9.016.69 ft, Apr 28, 20095
Jamestown this gaugeND12.016.94 ft, Apr 11, 19691
LaMoureND14.017.56 ft, Apr 15, 20090
HeclaND93.098.04 ft, Apr 1, 19972
ColumbiaSD13.019.81 ft, Jul 16, 20118
StratfordSD14.021.57 ft, Jul 19, 20116
AshtonSD13.026.64 ft, Apr 6, 199716
RedfieldSD20.031.10 ft, Apr 6, 19976
HuronSD11.521.28 ft, Apr 6, 19973
ForestburgSD12.020.61 ft, Apr 6, 19977
MitchellSD17.025.33 ft, Apr 11, 20015
ScotlandSD13.022.22 ft, Sep 13, 201916
YanktonSD12.027.84 ft, Sep 14, 20199

Other gauges in Stutsman County

Flood gauges in Stutsman County
Pingree11.013.15 ft, Apr 14, 20090

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge JMSN8, 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.