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James River near Grace City

Highest listed crest 17.74 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft31 crests since 1969

The James River near Grace City crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 31 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1969 to 2021. The highest, 17.74 ft on April 17, 2009, was major flooding, 5.74 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the James River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
17.74 ft
April 17, 2009; 7,910 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.0 ft
Major flooding from 15.0 ft
Crests at major
3
24th of 54 gauges in North Dakota
Most recent flood crest
May 3, 2013
12.03 ft, minor flooding
Location
Foster 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, James River near Grace City
Action stage10.010Oct 25, 2019The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.08May 3, 2013Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage14.01Apr 3, 1997Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage15.03Apr 11, 2011Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

31 crests from 1969 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the James River near Grace City, 1969 to 2021 05101520ft Flood stage 12.0 ftMajor 15.0 ft Apr 13, 1969: 12.00 ft, minor flooding; 3,100 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 1971: 11.04 ft, action stage; 1,150 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1979: 11.77 ft, action stage; 2,200 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1982: 11.27 ft, action stage; 1,200 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1983: 11.56 ft, action stage; 1,100 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1987: 12.20 ft, minor flooding; 1,300 cubic feet per secondJul 28, 1993: 13.49 ft, minor flooding; 3,520 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1995: 13.13 ft, minor flooding; 2,630 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1996: 16.18 ft, major floodingApr 15, 1996: 13.94 ft, minor floodingApr 3, 1997: 14.77 ft, moderate flooding; 4,000 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1998: 10.17 ft, action stageMar 28, 1999: 13.07 ft, minor flooding; 3,400 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 2001: 13.65 ft, minor flooding; 2,000 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 2003: 7.66 ft, below flood stageMar 28, 2004: 11.42 ft, action stageMar 24, 2007: 7.86 ft, below flood stageJun 27, 2008: 5.68 ft, below flood stage; 172 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 2009: 17.74 ft, major flooding; 7,910 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 2010: 11.80 ft, action stage; 3,200 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 2011: 17.54 ft, major flooding; 8,140 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 2012: 5.24 ft, below flood stage; 64 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2013: 12.03 ft, minor flooding; 3,160 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2014: 7.61 ft, below flood stage; 558 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2015: 5.61 ft, below flood stageAug 18, 2016: 4.70 ft, below flood stageApr 2, 2017: 10.25 ft, action stageMay 2, 2018: 6.71 ft, below flood stageApr 5, 2019: 10.41 ft, action stage; 1,730 cubic feet per secondOct 25, 2019: 11.41 ft, action stageMar 10, 2021: 4.33 ft, below flood stage Highest, 17.74 ft, Apr 17, 2009 197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, James River near Grace City 1960s: 1 1970s: 0 1980s: 1 1990s: 6 6 2000s: 2 2010s: 2 2020s: 0 1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, James River near Grace City
1Apr 17, 200917.74+5.74Major7,910
2Apr 11, 201117.54+5.54Major8,140
3Mar 21, 199616.18+4.18Major—
4Apr 3, 199714.77+2.77Moderate4,000
5Apr 15, 199613.94+1.94Minor—
6Mar 28, 200113.65+1.65Minor2,000
7Jul 28, 199313.49+1.49Minor3,520
8Mar 19, 199513.13+1.13Minor2,630
9Mar 28, 199913.07+1.07Minor3,400
10Mar 28, 198712.20+0.20Minor1,300
11May 3, 201312.03+0.03Minor3,160
12Apr 13, 196912.000.00Minor3,100
13Apr 3, 201011.80−0.20Action3,200
14Apr 25, 197911.77−0.23Action2,200
15Mar 15, 198311.56−0.44Action1,100
16Mar 28, 200411.42−0.58Action—
17Oct 25, 201911.41−0.59Action—
18Apr 6, 198211.27−0.73Action1,200
19Apr 8, 197111.04−0.96Action1,150
20Apr 5, 201910.41−1.59Action1,730
21Apr 2, 201710.25−1.75Action—
22Apr 1, 199810.17−1.83Action—
23Mar 24, 20077.86−4.14Below flood stage—
24Apr 4, 20037.66−4.34Below flood stage—
25Apr 18, 20147.61−4.39Below flood stage558
26May 2, 20186.71−5.29Below flood stage—
27Jun 27, 20085.68−6.32Below flood stage172
28Jun 5, 20155.61−6.39Below flood stage—
29Apr 1, 20125.24−6.76Below flood stage64
30Aug 18, 20164.70−7.30Below flood stage—
31Mar 10, 20214.33−7.67Below flood stage—

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 17, 2009: 17.74 ft here, major flooding

  • HeclaND · Apr 18, 2009 · 96.35 ft · Major
  • ColumbiaSD · Apr 24, 2009 · 19.73 ft · Major
  • KensalND · Apr 18, 2009 · 14.70 ft · Major
  • LaMoureND · Apr 15, 2009 · 17.56 ft · Moderate · its highest

April 11, 2011: 17.54 ft here, major flooding

  • KensalND · Apr 12, 2011 · 14.41 ft · Major
  • HeclaND · Apr 12, 2011 · 95.38 ft · Moderate
  • LaMoureND · Apr 6, 2011 · 14.48 ft · Minor

March 21, 1996: 16.18 ft here, major flooding

  • LaMoureND · Mar 20, 1996 · 14.43 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 City this gaugeND12.017.74 ft, Apr 17, 20093
KensalND9.016.69 ft, Apr 28, 20095
JamestownND12.016.94 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 Foster County

Flood gauges in Foster County
Kensal9.016.69 ft, Apr 28, 20095

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge GCEN8, 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.