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Willow Creek (ND) near Willow City

Highest listed crest 1,448.59 ftFlood stage 1,442.0 ft59 crests since 1957

The Willow Creek (ND) near Willow City crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 59 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1957 to 2021. The highest, 1,448.59 ft on April 12, 1969, was major flooding, 6.59 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
1,448.59 ft
April 12, 1969; 5,900 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
1,442.0 ft
Major flooding from 1,448.0 ft
Crests at major
1
37th of 54 gauges in North Dakota
Most recent flood crest
April 1, 2017
1,446.79 ft, moderate flooding
Location
McHenry 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, Willow Creek (ND) near Willow City
Action stage1,441.06Oct 30, 2019The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)1,442.016Jul 12, 2014Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage1,446.012Apr 1, 2017Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage1,448.01Apr 12, 1969Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

59 crests from 1957 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Willow Creek (ND) near Willow City, 1957 to 2021 1435144014451450ft Flood stage 1,442.0 ftMajor 1,448.0 ft Mar 27, 1957: 1,440.38 ft, below flood stageMar 31, 1958: 1,439.07 ft, below flood stage; 114 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1959: 1,438.14 ft, below flood stage; 25 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1960: 1,445.86 ft, minor flooding; 1,190 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1961: 1,437.65 ft, below flood stage; 15 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1962: 1,438.56 ft, below flood stageJun 11, 1963: 1,439.84 ft, below flood stage; 81 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1964: 1,439.96 ft, below flood stage; 89 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 1965: 1,442.51 ft, minor floodingMar 25, 1966: 1,442.83 ft, minor flooding; 320 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1967: 1,442.51 ft, minor flooding; 326 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 1968: 1,442.78 ft, minor flooding; 268 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1969: 1,448.59 ft, major flooding; 5,900 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1970: 1,442.72 ft, minor flooding; 374 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1972: 1,440.26 ft, below flood stage; 1,030 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 1973: 1,441.81 ft, action stage; 237 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1974: 1,447.73 ft, moderate flooding; 2,900 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1975: 1,447.37 ft, moderate flooding; 2,460 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1976: 1,447.77 ft, moderate flooding; 2,950 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1977: 1,438.74 ft, below flood stageApr 8, 1978: 1,442.52 ft, minor flooding; 450 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1979: 1,447.93 ft, moderate flooding; 3,170 cubic feet per secondSep 23, 1980: 1,439.81 ft, below flood stageMar 3, 1981: 1,441.53 ft, action stageApr 7, 1983: 1,444.23 ft, minor flooding; 740 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1984: 1,441.20 ft, action stageMar 23, 1986: 1,440.87 ft, below flood stageApr 6, 1988: 1,439.43 ft, below flood stageJun 27, 1990: 1,440.34 ft, below flood stageJul 8, 1991: 1,440.89 ft, below flood stageAug 7, 1993: 1,440.52 ft, below flood stageMar 28, 1994: 1,442.91 ft, minor flooding; 470 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1995: 1,446.62 ft, moderate flooding; 2,000 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1996: 1,447.60 ft, moderate flooding; 1,770 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1997: 1,444.88 ft, minor flooding; 900 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1998: 1,442.48 ft, minor floodingApr 11, 1999: 1,447.05 ft, moderate flooding; 2,790 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2000: 1,438.97 ft, below flood stage; 277 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 2001: 1,446.06 ft, moderate floodingJun 29, 2002: 1,439.61 ft, below flood stageApr 2, 2003: 1,438.31 ft, below flood stageJun 17, 2004: 1,444.15 ft, minor floodingJul 11, 2005: 1,447.60 ft, moderate flooding; 2,710 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 2006: 1,445.90 ft, minor floodingMar 29, 2007: 1,437.90 ft, below flood stage; 60 cubic feet per secondAug 15, 2008: 1,438.10 ft, below flood stageApr 12, 2009: 1,446.20 ft, moderate flooding; 1,830 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 2010: 1,443.43 ft, minor flooding; 582 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 2011: 1,447.07 ft, moderate flooding; 2,900 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 2012: 1,439.81 ft, below flood stage; 175 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 2013: 1,442.36 ft, minor flooding; 525 cubic feet per secondJul 12, 2014: 1,443.90 ft, minor floodingMar 21, 2015: 1,441.01 ft, action stage; 349 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 2016: 1,439.67 ft, below flood stage; 242 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 2017: 1,446.79 ft, moderate flooding; 2,770 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 2018: 1,438.80 ft, below flood stageApr 12, 2019: 1,441.22 ft, action stage; 403 cubic feet per secondOct 30, 2019: 1,441.12 ft, action stageJun 13, 2021: 1,439.36 ft, below flood stage Highest, 1,448.59 ft, Apr 12, 1969 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Willow Creek (ND) near Willow City 1950s: 0 1960s: 6 6 1970s: 6 1980s: 1 1990s: 6 2000s: 5 2010s: 5 2020s: 0 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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

The 50 highest of 59 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Willow Creek (ND) near Willow City
1Apr 12, 19691,448.59+6.59Major5,900
2Apr 23, 19791,447.93+5.93Moderate3,170
3Apr 4, 19761,447.77+5.77Moderate2,950
4Apr 17, 19741,447.73+5.73Moderate2,900
5Apr 14, 19961,447.60+5.60Moderate1,770
6Jul 11, 20051,447.60+5.60Moderate2,710
7Apr 29, 19751,447.37+5.37Moderate2,460
8Apr 12, 20111,447.07+5.07Moderate2,900
9Apr 11, 19991,447.05+5.05Moderate2,790
10Apr 1, 20171,446.79+4.79Moderate2,770
11Mar 27, 19951,446.62+4.62Moderate2,000
12Apr 12, 20091,446.20+4.20Moderate1,830
13Apr 10, 20011,446.06+4.06Moderate—
14Apr 3, 20061,445.90+3.90Minor—
15Apr 9, 19601,445.86+3.86Minor1,190
16Apr 5, 19971,444.88+2.88Minor900
17Apr 7, 19831,444.23+2.23Minor740
18Jun 17, 20041,444.15+2.15Minor—
19Jul 12, 20141,443.90+1.90Minor—
20Jun 29, 20101,443.43+1.43Minor582
21Mar 28, 19941,442.91+0.91Minor470
22Mar 25, 19661,442.83+0.83Minor320
23Aug 28, 19681,442.78+0.78Minor268
24May 16, 19701,442.72+0.72Minor374
25Apr 8, 19781,442.52+0.52Minor450
26Aug 10, 19651,442.51+0.51Minor—
27Apr 6, 19671,442.51+0.51Minor326
28Apr 5, 19981,442.48+0.48Minor—
29May 8, 20131,442.36+0.36Minor525
30Sep 6, 19731,441.81−0.19Action237
31Mar 3, 19811,441.53−0.47Action—
32Apr 12, 20191,441.22−0.78Action403
33Mar 30, 19841,441.20−0.80Action—
34Oct 30, 20191,441.12−0.88Action—
35Mar 21, 20151,441.01−0.99Action349
36Jul 8, 19911,440.89−1.11Below flood stage—
37Mar 23, 19861,440.87−1.13Below flood stage—
38Aug 7, 19931,440.52−1.48Below flood stage—
39Mar 27, 19571,440.38−1.62Below flood stage—
40Jun 27, 19901,440.34−1.66Below flood stage—
41Mar 25, 19721,440.26−1.74Below flood stage1,030
42Apr 6, 19641,439.96−2.04Below flood stage89
43Jun 11, 19631,439.84−2.16Below flood stage81
44Sep 23, 19801,439.81−2.19Below flood stage—
45Mar 19, 20121,439.81−2.19Below flood stage175
46Mar 12, 20161,439.67−2.33Below flood stage242
47Jun 29, 20021,439.61−2.39Below flood stage—
48Apr 6, 19881,439.43−2.57Below flood stage—
49Jun 13, 20211,439.36−2.64Below flood stage—
50Mar 31, 19581,439.07−2.93Below flood stage114

Other gauges in McHenry County

Flood gauges in McHenry County
Velva1,507.01,515.73 ft, Jun 26, 20110
Bantry1,440.01,445.66 ft, Jun 28, 20114
Towner1,454.01,459.95 ft, Jun 28, 20111
Karlsruhe1,509.01,514.60 ft, Mar 17, 19952

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge WLCN8, 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.