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Knife River (ND) near Golden Valley

Highest listed crest 27.73 ftFlood stage 24.0 ft40 crests since 1943

The Knife River (ND) near Golden Valley crested above flood stage 10 times among the 40 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1943 to 2020. The highest, 27.73 ft on March 22, 2009, was moderate flooding, 3.73 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Knife River (ND) crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
27.73 ft
March 22, 2009; 15,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
24.0 ft
Major flooding from 30.0 ft
Crests at major
0
10 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
March 22, 2009
27.73 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Mercer 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, Knife River (ND) near Golden Valley
Action stage22.02Apr 4, 1969The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)24.05Mar 31, 1982Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage26.05Mar 22, 2009Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage30.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

40 crests from 1943 to 2020. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Knife River (ND) near Golden Valley, 1943 to 2020 51015202530ft Flood stage 24.0 ftMajor 30.0 ft Mar 26, 1943: 26.70 ft, moderate floodingApr 2, 1944: 18.75 ft, below flood stage; 4,460 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1947: 21.30 ft, below flood stage; 6,020 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1948: 19.00 ft, below flood stage; 4,370 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1949: 22.90 ft, action stage; 6,400 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1950: 26.37 ft, moderate flooding; 10,900 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1951: 25.67 ft, minor flooding; 7,200 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1952: 25.63 ft, minor flooding; 9,740 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1956: 19.40 ft, below flood stage; 2,300 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1959: 21.73 ft, below flood stage; 5,000 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1967: 20.27 ft, below flood stage; 4,300 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1969: 22.67 ft, action stage; 5,410 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1970: 25.84 ft, minor flooding; 11,200 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1972: 26.59 ft, moderate flooding; 10,200 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1973: 19.22 ft, below flood stage; 2,560 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1975: 21.76 ft, below flood stage; 5,070 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1978: 24.84 ft, minor flooding; 7,840 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1982: 24.44 ft, minor flooding; 7,440 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1983: 19.02 ft, below flood stage; 3,630 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1986: 21.84 ft, below flood stage; 4,500 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1987: 21.15 ft, below flood stage; 5,000 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1997: 27.00 ft, moderate floodingMar 3, 1999: 18.03 ft, below flood stageMar 10, 2001: 14.71 ft, below flood stageMar 16, 2003: 16.66 ft, below flood stageMar 11, 2004: 15.93 ft, below flood stageJun 30, 2005: 8.48 ft, below flood stageMar 22, 2009: 27.73 ft, moderate flooding; 15,000 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2010: 15.55 ft, below flood stage; 3,200 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 2011: 16.25 ft, below flood stageMar 16, 2012: 6.35 ft, below flood stage; 135 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2013: 17.52 ft, below flood stage; 4,160 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 2014: 13.07 ft, below flood stageJan 27, 2015: 13.07 ft, below flood stageApr 29, 2016: 7.29 ft, below flood stageMar 22, 2017: 11.23 ft, below flood stageMar 27, 2018: 13.41 ft, below flood stageMar 22, 2019: 19.41 ft, below flood stageMar 3, 2020: 11.30 ft, below flood stageMay 25, 2020: 8.51 ft, below flood stage Highest, 27.73 ft, Mar 22, 2009 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Knife River (ND) near Golden Valley 1940s: 1 1950s: 3 3 1960s: 0 1970s: 3 1980s: 1 1990s: 1 2000s: 1 2010s: 0 2020s: 0 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Knife River (ND) near Golden Valley
1Mar 22, 200927.73+3.73Moderate15,000
2Mar 23, 199727.00+3.00Moderate—
3Mar 26, 194326.70+2.70Moderate—
4Mar 14, 197226.59+2.59Moderate10,200
5Apr 16, 195026.37+2.37Moderate10,900
6May 9, 197025.84+1.84Minor11,200
7Mar 28, 195125.67+1.67Minor7,200
8Apr 7, 195225.63+1.63Minor9,740
9Mar 27, 197824.84+0.84Minor7,840
10Mar 31, 198224.44+0.44Minor7,440
11Apr 4, 194922.90−1.10Action6,400
12Apr 4, 196922.67−1.33Action5,410
13Mar 3, 198621.84−2.16Below flood stage4,500
14Apr 30, 197521.76−2.24Below flood stage5,070
15Mar 23, 195921.73−2.27Below flood stage5,000
16Jun 24, 194721.30−2.70Below flood stage6,020
17Mar 22, 198721.15−2.85Below flood stage5,000
18Mar 24, 196720.27−3.73Below flood stage4,300
19Mar 22, 201919.41−4.59Below flood stage—
20Mar 20, 195619.40−4.60Below flood stage2,300
21Mar 3, 197319.22−4.78Below flood stage2,560
22Mar 14, 198319.02−4.98Below flood stage3,630
23Mar 23, 194819.00−5.00Below flood stage4,370
24Apr 2, 194418.75−5.25Below flood stage4,460
25Mar 3, 199918.03−5.97Below flood stage—
26Jun 2, 201317.52−6.48Below flood stage4,160
27Mar 16, 200316.66−7.34Below flood stage—
28Apr 4, 201116.25−7.75Below flood stage—
29Mar 11, 200415.93−8.07Below flood stage—
30Mar 31, 201015.55−8.45Below flood stage3,200
31Mar 10, 200114.71−9.29Below flood stage—
32Mar 27, 201813.41−10.59Below flood stage—
33Aug 18, 201413.07−10.93Below flood stage—
34Jan 27, 201513.07−10.93Below flood stage—
35Mar 3, 202011.30−12.70Below flood stage—
36Mar 22, 201711.23−12.77Below flood stage—
37May 25, 20208.51−15.49Below flood stage—
38Jun 30, 20058.48−15.52Below flood stage—
39Apr 29, 20167.29−16.71Below flood stage—
40Mar 16, 20126.35−17.65Below flood stage135

The worst floods along the Knife River (ND)

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

March 22, 2009: 27.73 ft here, moderate flooding

  • HazenND · Mar 24, 2009 · 27.79 ft · Major · its highest

March 23, 1997: 27.00 ft here, moderate flooding

  • HazenND · Mar 23, 1997 · 26.92 ft · Major
  • ManningND · Mar 21, 1997 · 17.05 ft · Moderate

March 26, 1943: 26.70 ft here, moderate flooding

  • HazenND · Mar 26, 1943 · 26.30 ft · Major

Gauges on the Knife River (ND)

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

Flood gauges on the Knife River (ND)
ManningND15.017.63 ft, Mar 18, 20030
Golden Valley this gaugeND24.027.73 ft, Mar 22, 20090
HazenND21.027.79 ft, Mar 24, 200910

Other gauges in Mercer County

Flood gauges in Mercer County
Hazen21.027.79 ft, Mar 24, 200910
Zap14.021.29 ft, Mar 23, 20095

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge GDVN8, 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.