Red River crest prediction in ND lowered again
Apr 30, 2013, 12:43 AM
FARGO, N.D. (AP) – Preparations for a major Red River flood may be all for naught.
The National Weather Service on Monday lowered the expected crest forecast in Fargo and Moorhead, Minn., to 35.5 feet on Wednesday. That’s down from the 37-foot prediction issued Sunday.
A 35.5-foot crest would be the ninth-highest, but would cause little damage after recent efforts to build permanent levees and buy out homes in low-lying areas.
Residents have spent the last week building clay levees and sandbag dikes to protect Fargo to 40 feet after an earlier weather service prediction took into account the possibility of rapid snowmelt and steady precipitation. Instead, forecasters say the conditions are ideal for a gradual melt cycle.
The river topped the 30-foot mark Sunday night.
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