Advertisement

Fargo prepares for lower crest than originally forecast

Crews get ready for volunteers to come make sandbags at 'sandbag central' in Fargo, N.D., earlier in April. Megan Batchelor / Global News

As the Red River continues to rise in North Dakota, flood-fighting efforts are being scaled back after forecasters predicted a lower crest than had been expected.

City officials were told by the National Weather Service in a conference call Tuesday to expect a 38- to 40-foot crest, lower than the 43 feet they were originally bracing for, but still a major flood.

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

The Red River at Fargo is forecast to hit its flood stage of 18 feet on Thursday and its major flood stage of 30 feet on Monday.

Only 400,000 of the city’s 1.5 million sand bags will be used for now. The extended forecast and spring melt pace could change the flood forecast.

It’s been all hands on deck in Fargo since the beginning of April as hundreds of volunteers worked to fill sandbags and deploy them throughout the city.

Story continues below advertisement

Fargo’s worst recorded flood was in 2009, when the Red crested at 40.84 feet.

Sponsored content

AdChoices