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Little Missouri River near Watford City

Highest listed crest 24.00 ftFlood stage 20.0 ft34 crests since 1944

The Little Missouri River near Watford City crested above flood stage 2 times among the 34 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1944 to 2021. The highest, 24.00 ft on March 25, 1947, was moderate flooding, 4.00 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Little Missouri River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
24.00 ft
March 25, 1947; 110,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
20.0 ft
Major flooding from 30.0 ft
Crests at major
0
2 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
April 1, 1950
21.42 ft, minor flooding
Location
McKenzie 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, Little Missouri River near Watford City
Action stage18.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)20.01Apr 1, 1950Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage24.01Mar 25, 1947Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage30.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

34 crests from 1944 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Little Missouri River near Watford City, 1944 to 2021 0102030ft Flood stage 20.0 ftMajor 30.0 ft Apr 8, 1944: 14.40 ft, below flood stage; 32,600 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1947: 24.00 ft, moderate flooding; 110,000 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1950: 21.42 ft, minor flooding; 60,000 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1952: 15.53 ft, below flood stage; 42,200 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1963: 9.90 ft, below flood stage; 10,000 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1965: 17.93 ft, below flood stage; 20,000 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1967: 16.07 ft, below flood stage; 30,000 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1969: 8.04 ft, below flood stage; 15,300 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1971: 15.27 ft, below flood stage; 31,000 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1972: 14.68 ft, below flood stage; 52,800 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1975: 8.40 ft, below flood stage; 17,500 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1978: 11.08 ft, below flood stage; 31,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1982: 14.34 ft, below flood stage; 11,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1983: 8.41 ft, below flood stage; 13,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1986: 7.90 ft, below flood stage; 14,500 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1996: 17.23 ft, below flood stage; 10,000 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1997: 17.16 ft, below flood stage; 20,500 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 2003: 9.01 ft, below flood stage; 8,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 2005: 8.56 ft, below flood stageApr 28, 2006: 10.60 ft, below flood stageJun 10, 2007: 8.21 ft, below flood stageApr 21, 2009: 13.68 ft, below flood stage; 20,800 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2010: 5.80 ft, below flood stageMay 27, 2011: 16.70 ft, below flood stage; 34,000 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 2012: 1.66 ft, below flood stage; 899 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 2013: 7.16 ft, below flood stage; 8,380 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2014: 14.49 ft, below flood stageFeb 9, 2015: 15.09 ft, below flood stageApr 25, 2016: 2.89 ft, below flood stage; 1,790 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 2017: 10.94 ft, below flood stageMar 28, 2018: 8.71 ft, below flood stage; 12,100 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 2019: 13.74 ft, below flood stage; 26,600 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 2020: 13.78 ft, below flood stageMar 11, 2021: 1.34 ft, below flood stage Highest, 24.00 ft, Mar 25, 1947 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Little Missouri River near Watford City 1940s: 1 1 1950s: 1 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 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, Little Missouri River near Watford City
1Mar 25, 194724.00+4.00Moderate110,000
2Apr 1, 195021.42+1.42Minor60,000
3Apr 10, 196517.93−2.07Below flood stage20,000
4Mar 15, 199617.23−2.77Below flood stage10,000
5Mar 22, 199717.16−2.84Below flood stage20,500
6May 27, 201116.70−3.30Below flood stage34,000
7Mar 22, 196716.07−3.93Below flood stage30,000
8Apr 10, 195215.53−4.47Below flood stage42,200
9Mar 28, 197115.27−4.73Below flood stage31,000
10Feb 9, 201515.09−4.91Below flood stage—
11Mar 13, 197214.68−5.32Below flood stage52,800
12Mar 14, 201414.49−5.51Below flood stage—
13Apr 8, 194414.40−5.60Below flood stage32,600
14Feb 21, 198214.34−5.66Below flood stage11,000
15Mar 3, 202013.78−6.22Below flood stage—
16Mar 27, 201913.74−6.26Below flood stage26,600
17Apr 21, 200913.68−6.32Below flood stage20,800
18Mar 30, 197811.08−8.92Below flood stage31,500
19Mar 18, 201710.94−9.06Below flood stage—
20Apr 28, 200610.60−9.40Below flood stage—
21Mar 5, 19639.90−10.10Below flood stage10,000
22Mar 17, 20039.01−10.99Below flood stage8,000
23Mar 28, 20188.71−11.29Below flood stage12,100
24Feb 2, 20058.56−11.44Below flood stage—
25Feb 23, 19838.41−11.59Below flood stage13,500
26May 11, 19758.40−11.60Below flood stage17,500
27Jun 10, 20078.21−11.79Below flood stage—
28Mar 23, 19698.04−11.96Below flood stage15,300
29Feb 28, 19867.90−12.10Below flood stage14,500
30Jun 3, 20137.16−12.84Below flood stage8,380
31Jun 27, 20105.80−14.20Below flood stage—
32Apr 25, 20162.89−17.11Below flood stage1,790
33Mar 10, 20121.66−18.34Below flood stage899
34Mar 11, 20211.34−18.66Below flood stage—

The worst floods along the Little Missouri River

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

March 25, 1947: 24.00 ft here, moderate flooding

  • MedoraND · Mar 23, 1947 · 20.50 ft · Major · its highest
  • MarmarthND · Mar 23, 1947 · 21.70 ft · Minor · its highest

Gauges on the Little Missouri River

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

Flood gauges on the Little Missouri River
Camp CrookSD12.019.40 ft, May 24, 20111
MarmarthND18.021.70 ft, Mar 23, 19470
MedoraND15.020.50 ft, Mar 23, 19472
Watford City this gaugeND20.024.00 ft, Mar 25, 19470

Other gauges in McKenzie County

Flood gauges in McKenzie County
Williston22.030.38 ft, Jun 21, 20116

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge WTFN8, 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.