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James River near Hecla

Highest listed crest 98.04 ftFlood stage 93.0 ft21 crests since 1993

The James River near Hecla crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 21 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1993 to 2025. The highest, 98.04 ft on April 1, 1997, was major flooding, 5.04 feet above flood stage. 9 other gauges on the James River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 4 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
98.04 ft
April 1, 1997
Flood stage
93.0 ft
Major flooding from 96.0 ft
Crests at major
2
31st of 54 gauges in North Dakota
Most recent flood crest
April 25, 2023
94.33 ft, minor flooding
Location
Dickey 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 Hecla
Action stage92.06Aug 17, 2025The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)93.03Apr 25, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage94.53Nov 4, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage96.02Apr 18, 2009Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

21 crests from 1993 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the James River near Hecla, 1993 to 2025 889092949698100ft Flood stage 93.0 ftMajor 96.0 ft Aug 3, 1993: 93.39 ft, minor floodingApr 1, 1997: 98.04 ft, major floodingMar 30, 2003: 89.31 ft, below flood stage; 1,130 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2004: 91.77 ft, below flood stage; 1,400 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 2005: 92.50 ft, action stage; 2,050 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2006: 90.13 ft, below flood stage; 767 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2007: 92.93 ft, action stage; 2,430 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 2008: 88.97 ft, below flood stage; 569 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2009: 96.35 ft, major flooding; 11,800 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 2010: 95.51 ft, moderate flooding; 4,700 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 2011: 95.38 ft, moderate flooding; 8,070 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2012: 89.64 ft, below flood stage; 759 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 2013: 93.39 ft, minor flooding; 2,150 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 2014: 91.74 ft, below flood stage; 1,450 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2015: 92.37 ft, action stage; 1,640 cubic feet per secondAug 12, 2016: 89.95 ft, below flood stage; 664 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2017: 92.22 ft, action stage; 1,380 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 2018: 92.74 ft, action stage; 1,930 cubic feet per secondNov 4, 2019: 95.71 ft, moderate flooding; 4,250 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 2023: 94.33 ft, minor flooding; 4,350 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 2025: 92.70 ft, action stage; 1,680 cubic feet per second Highest, 98.04 ft, Apr 1, 1997 200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, James River near Hecla 1990s: 2 2000s: 1 2010s: 4 4 2020s: 1 1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 Hecla
1Apr 1, 199798.04+5.04Major—
2Apr 18, 200996.35+3.35Major11,800
3Nov 4, 201995.71+2.71Moderate4,250
4Mar 27, 201095.51+2.51Moderate4,700
5Apr 12, 201195.38+2.38Moderate8,070
6Apr 25, 202394.33+1.33Minor4,350
7Aug 3, 199393.39+0.39Minor—
8Jun 28, 201393.39+0.39Minor2,150
9Jun 26, 200792.93−0.07Action2,430
10Apr 26, 201892.74−0.26Action1,930
11Aug 17, 202592.70−0.30Action1,680
12Jun 21, 200592.50−0.50Action2,050
13May 25, 201592.37−0.63Action1,640
14Mar 6, 201792.22−0.78Action1,380
15Jun 5, 200491.77−1.23Below flood stage1,400
16Jul 1, 201491.74−1.26Below flood stage1,450
17Apr 7, 200690.13−2.87Below flood stage767
18Aug 12, 201689.95−3.05Below flood stage664
19Apr 15, 201289.64−3.36Below flood stage759
20Mar 30, 200389.31−3.69Below flood stage1,130
21Jun 28, 200888.97−4.03Below flood stage569

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 1, 1997: 98.04 ft here, major flooding

  • RedfieldSD · Apr 6, 1997 · 31.10 ft · Major · its highest
  • AshtonSD · Apr 6, 1997 · 26.64 ft · Major · its highest
  • HuronSD · Apr 6, 1997 · 21.28 ft · Major · its highest
  • ForestburgSD · Apr 6, 1997 · 20.61 ft · Major · its highest
  • ScotlandSD · Apr 8, 1997 · 19.81 ft · Major
  • StratfordSD · Apr 6, 1997 · 19.48 ft · Major
  • KensalND · Apr 7, 1997 · 14.00 ft · Major
  • LaMoureND · Apr 1, 1997 · 16.09 ft · Moderate
  • Grace CityND · Apr 3, 1997 · 14.77 ft · Moderate

April 18, 2009: 96.35 ft here, major flooding

  • ColumbiaSD · Apr 24, 2009 · 19.73 ft · Major
  • Grace CityND · Apr 17, 2009 · 17.74 ft · Major · its highest
  • KensalND · Apr 18, 2009 · 14.70 ft · Major
  • LaMoureND · Apr 15, 2009 · 17.56 ft · Moderate · its highest

November 4, 2019: 95.71 ft here, moderate flooding

  • JamestownND · Oct 28, 2019 · 13.24 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
JamestownND12.016.94 ft, Apr 11, 19691
LaMoureND14.017.56 ft, Apr 15, 20090
Hecla this gaugeND93.098.04 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 Dickey County

Flood gauges in Dickey County
Frederick10.016.19 ft, Mar 29, 19974

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge JSLS2, 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.