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James River near Kensal

Highest listed crest 16.69 ftFlood stage 9.0 ft29 crests since 1979

The James River near Kensal crested at major flood stage 5 times among the 29 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1979 to 2021. The highest, 16.69 ft on April 28, 2009, was major flooding, 7.69 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
16.69 ft
April 28, 2009
Flood stage
9.0 ft
Major flooding from 13.0 ft
Crests at major
5
18th of 54 gauges in North Dakota
Most recent flood crest
October 26, 2019
10.37 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 Kensal
Action stage8.04Apr 8, 2019The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)9.010Oct 26, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage11.01Mar 28, 1987Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage13.05Apr 12, 2011Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

29 crests from 1979 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the James River near Kensal, 1979 to 2021 05101520ft Flood stage 9.0 ftMajor 13.0 ft Jan 1, 1979: 14.35 ft, major floodingMar 28, 1987: 11.48 ft, moderate flooding; 1,500 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 1993: 10.64 ft, minor flooding; 3,400 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1994: 9.49 ft, minor flooding; 2,150 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1995: 9.24 ft, minor flooding; 2,700 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1996: 9.05 ft, minor flooding; 4,620 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1997: 14.00 ft, major floodingMar 31, 1998: 8.66 ft, action stage; 1,810 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1999: 10.30 ft, minor flooding; 3,930 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 2000: 8.96 ft, action stage; 1,300 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 2001: 10.14 ft, minor flooding; 2,990 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2003: 3.99 ft, below flood stageMar 30, 2004: 10.28 ft, minor flooding; 3,630 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 2007: 5.22 ft, below flood stageSep 26, 2008: 3.04 ft, below flood stage; 39 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2009: 14.70 ft, major flooding; 8,470 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2009: 16.69 ft, major floodingApr 4, 2010: 10.23 ft, minor flooding; 3,090 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 2011: 14.41 ft, major flooding; 7,800 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2012: 3.76 ft, below flood stage; 96 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 2013: 10.10 ft, minor flooding; 2,800 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 2014: 6.35 ft, below flood stage; 559 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 2015: 3.22 ft, below flood stageSep 5, 2016: 2.44 ft, below flood stage; 37 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 2017: 8.80 ft, action stageApr 23, 2018: 5.12 ft, below flood stageApr 8, 2019: 8.52 ft, action stage; 1,030 cubic feet per secondOct 26, 2019: 10.37 ft, minor flooding; 2,060 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 2021: 2.01 ft, below flood stage Highest, 16.69 ft, Apr 28, 2009 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, James River near Kensal 1970s: 1 1980s: 1 1990s: 6 6 2000s: 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

Highest listed crests, James River near Kensal
1Apr 28, 200916.69+7.69Major—
2Apr 18, 200914.70+5.70Major8,470
3Apr 12, 201114.41+5.41Major7,800
4Jan 1, 197914.35+5.35Major—
5Apr 7, 199714.00+5.00Major—
6Mar 28, 198711.48+2.48Moderate1,500
7Jul 29, 199310.64+1.64Minor3,400
8Oct 26, 201910.37+1.37Minor2,060
9Mar 30, 199910.30+1.30Minor3,930
10Mar 30, 200410.28+1.28Minor3,630
11Apr 4, 201010.23+1.23Minor3,090
12Mar 27, 200110.14+1.14Minor2,990
13May 4, 201310.10+1.10Minor2,800
14Mar 25, 19949.49+0.49Minor2,150
15Mar 21, 19959.24+0.24Minor2,700
16Apr 18, 19969.05+0.05Minor4,620
17Jul 16, 20008.96−0.04Action1,300
18Apr 2, 20178.80−0.20Action—
19Mar 31, 19988.66−0.34Action1,810
20Apr 8, 20198.52−0.48Action1,030
21Apr 20, 20146.35−2.65Below flood stage559
22Mar 25, 20075.22−3.78Below flood stage—
23Apr 23, 20185.12−3.88Below flood stage—
24Mar 29, 20033.99−5.01Below flood stage—
25Apr 16, 20123.76−5.24Below flood stage96
26Mar 10, 20153.22−5.78Below flood stage—
27Sep 26, 20083.04−5.96Below flood stage39
28Sep 5, 20162.44−6.56Below flood stage37
29Mar 3, 20212.01−6.99Below 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 28, 2009: 16.69 ft here, major flooding

  • RedfieldSD · Apr 30, 2009 · 25.79 ft · Major
  • AshtonSD · Apr 30, 2009 · 22.96 ft · Major
  • StratfordSD · Apr 26, 2009 · 19.98 ft · Major
  • ColumbiaSD · Apr 24, 2009 · 19.73 ft · Major
  • HuronSD · May 3, 2009 · 16.64 ft · Moderate
  • JamestownND · May 4, 2009 · 14.13 ft · Moderate

April 18, 2009: 14.70 ft here, major flooding

  • HeclaND · Apr 18, 2009 · 96.35 ft · Major
  • ColumbiaSD · Apr 24, 2009 · 19.73 ft · Major
  • Grace CityND · Apr 17, 2009 · 17.74 ft · Major · its highest
  • LaMoureND · Apr 15, 2009 · 17.56 ft · Moderate · its highest

April 12, 2011: 14.41 ft here, major flooding

  • Grace CityND · Apr 11, 2011 · 17.54 ft · Major
  • HeclaND · Apr 12, 2011 · 95.38 ft · Moderate
  • LaMoureND · Apr 6, 2011 · 14.48 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
Kensal this gaugeND9.016.69 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
Grace City12.017.74 ft, Apr 17, 20093

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge KSLN8, 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.