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Souris River near Westhope

Highest listed crest 1,426.75 ftFlood stage 1,414.0 ft34 crests since 1947

The Souris River near Westhope crested at major flood stage 7 times among the 34 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1947 to 2020. The highest, 1,426.75 ft on July 5, 2011, was major flooding, 12.75 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Souris River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
1,426.75 ft
July 5, 2011
Flood stage
1,414.0 ft
Major flooding from 1,420.0 ft
Crests at major
7
14th of 54 gauges in North Dakota
Most recent flood crest
April 7, 2017
1,420.86 ft, major flooding
Location
Bottineau 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, Souris River near Westhope
Action stage1,413.04Nov 11, 2019The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)1,414.012May 17, 2015Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage1,418.04Jun 20, 2013Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage1,420.07Apr 7, 2017Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

34 crests from 1947 to 2020. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Souris River near Westhope, 1947 to 2020 140514101415142014251430ft Flood stage 1,414.0 ftMajor 1,420.0 ft Apr 21, 1947: 1,415.17 ft, minor floodingMay 1, 1948: 1,417.43 ft, minor floodingApr 20, 1949: 1,420.70 ft, major floodingMay 23, 1950: 1,416.11 ft, minor flooding; 149 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 1954: 1,414.32 ft, minor flooding; 1,780 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1955: 1,417.62 ft, minor floodingMay 21, 1956: 1,415.98 ft, minor flooding; 3,040 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 1969: 1,421.36 ft, major flooding; 6,300 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 1976: 1,410.42 ft, below flood stageApr 22, 1978: 1,411.74 ft, below flood stageMay 21, 1979: 1,420.07 ft, major flooding; 5,900 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1982: 1,415.70 ft, minor flooding; 2,400 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1995: 1,419.79 ft, moderate flooding; 3,790 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1996: 1,419.61 ft, moderate flooding; 5,510 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1997: 1,417.95 ft, minor flooding; 3,900 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1998: 1,413.00 ft, action stageApr 14, 1999: 1,421.00 ft, major flooding; 7,060 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 2000: 1,412.67 ft, below flood stage; 1,800 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2001: 1,417.44 ft, minor flooding; 3,360 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2004: 1,413.49 ft, action stage; 3,040 cubic feet per secondJul 20, 2005: 1,417.75 ft, minor floodingApr 9, 2006: 1,413.89 ft, action stage; 1,760 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 2008: 1,410.67 ft, below flood stage; 149 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2009: 1,419.98 ft, moderate flooding; 5,700 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 2010: 1,414.90 ft, minor floodingJul 5, 2011: 1,426.75 ft, major floodingApr 6, 2012: 1,411.92 ft, below flood stage; 553 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2013: 1,419.52 ft, moderate flooding; 5,400 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 2014: 1,420.74 ft, major floodingMay 17, 2015: 1,414.72 ft, minor floodingApr 7, 2017: 1,420.86 ft, major flooding; 8,360 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 2018: 1,411.83 ft, below flood stageNov 11, 2019: 1,413.36 ft, action stage; 970 cubic feet per secondOct 20, 2020: 1,409.92 ft, below flood stage; 53 cubic feet per second Highest, 1,426.75 ft, Jul 5, 2011 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Souris River near Westhope 1940s: 3 1950s: 4 1960s: 1 1970s: 1 1980s: 1 1990s: 4 2000s: 3 2010s: 6 6 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, Souris River near Westhope
1Jul 5, 20111,426.75+12.75Major—
2Apr 19, 19691,421.36+7.36Major6,300
3Apr 14, 19991,421.00+7.00Major7,060
4Apr 7, 20171,420.86+6.86Major8,360
5Jul 6, 20141,420.74+6.74Major—
6Apr 20, 19491,420.70+6.70Major—
7May 21, 19791,420.07+6.07Major5,900
8Apr 30, 20091,419.98+5.98Moderate5,700
9Apr 9, 19951,419.79+5.79Moderate3,790
10Apr 21, 19961,419.61+5.61Moderate5,510
11Jun 20, 20131,419.52+5.52Moderate5,400
12Apr 25, 19971,417.95+3.95Minor3,900
13Jul 20, 20051,417.75+3.75Minor—
14Apr 14, 19551,417.62+3.62Minor—
15Apr 15, 20011,417.44+3.44Minor3,360
16May 1, 19481,417.43+3.43Minor—
17May 23, 19501,416.11+2.11Minor149
18May 21, 19561,415.98+1.98Minor3,040
19Apr 24, 19821,415.70+1.70Minor2,400
20Apr 21, 19471,415.17+1.17Minor—
21Jul 10, 20101,414.90+0.90Minor—
22May 17, 20151,414.72+0.72Minor—
23Jul 13, 19541,414.32+0.32Minor1,780
24Apr 9, 20061,413.89−0.11Action1,760
25Jun 20, 20041,413.49−0.51Action3,040
26Nov 11, 20191,413.36−0.64Action970
27Apr 18, 19981,413.00−1.00Action—
28Apr 12, 20001,412.67−1.33Below flood stage1,800
29Apr 6, 20121,411.92−2.08Below flood stage553
30Jul 9, 20181,411.83−2.17Below flood stage—
31Apr 22, 19781,411.74−2.26Below flood stage—
32Jun 18, 20081,410.67−3.33Below flood stage149
33Oct 2, 19761,410.42−3.58Below flood stage—
34Oct 20, 20201,409.92−4.08Below flood stage53

The worst floods along the Souris River

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

July 5, 2011: 1,426.75 ft here, major flooding

  • TownerND · Jun 28, 2011 · 1,459.95 ft · Major · its highest
  • BantryND · Jun 28, 2011 · 1,445.66 ft · Major · its highest

April 19, 1969: 1,421.36 ft here, major flooding

April 14, 1999: 1,421.00 ft here, major flooding

  • FoxholmND · Apr 18, 1999 · 1,576.30 ft · Moderate
  • SherwoodND · Apr 9, 1999 · 1,623.48 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Souris River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Souris River
LoganND1,536.01,542.12 ft, Jun 26, 20111
Minot 4NWND1,562.01,573.01 ft, Jan 1, 18813
Minot-Broadway BridgeND1,551.01,562.86 ft, Jun 25, 20113
SawyerND1,524.01,530.50 ft, Jun 26, 20111
VelvaND1,507.01,515.73 ft, Jun 26, 20110
BantryND1,440.01,445.66 ft, Jun 28, 20114
FoxholmND1,573.01,584.44 ft, Jun 25, 20112
SherwoodND1,623.01,633.15 ft, Jun 23, 20113
TownerND1,454.01,459.95 ft, Jun 28, 20111
Westhope this gaugeND1,414.01,426.75 ft, Jul 5, 20117

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge WSTN8, 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.