The Pembina River rose to just over 21 feet overnight Tuesday at Neche, N.D., reaching 21.08 feet at 7 a.m. Major flood stage is 20.5 feet.
The river is expected to gradually rise to near 21.5 feet by Saturday.
While the city of Neche is protected by a ring dike, widespread overland flooding normally occurs in rural areas because of local snowmelt runoff and flows coming from the Windygates area of southern Manitoba, which also is part of the Pembina River Basin.
At these levels, water usually breaks out of the river channel from Walhalla, N.D., to Neche, and eastward to Pembina, N.D. Ice in the river also may cause fluctuations in the river levels, the weather service said.
However, residents of Neche were not seeing much water outside of the Pembina River channel Wednesday.
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The Pembina at Neche is expected to remain in the 21- to 21.5-foot area for the next week.
N.D. Highway 18, which runs from N.D. Highway 5 near Cavalier, N.D., past Neche and into Manitoba, remained open Tuesday and unaffected by water.
Elsewhere
Flood warnings remain in effect until 7 p.m. Friday for the North Dakota counties adjacent to the Canadian border, as well as Walsh County, where the Park and Forest rivers remain near or at major flood stage, according to the weather service.
Rain amounts in western Walsh County overnight Monday totaled as much as 1 inch, which likely will continue to keep river levels near major flood stage for the next few days.
Dozens of county and township roads are flooded or closed because of high water levels.
In Grafton, the Park River reached 15.94 feet Tuesday night, but had dropped to 15.8 feet by 8 a.m. The weather service expects the river level to continue to slowly fall over the next couple of days.
In Minto, N.D., the Forest River reached a high elevation or 8.28 feet Tuesday night, but since has dropped below 8 feet, which is the moderate flood stage.
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In Oslo, Minn., the Red River reached 31.1 feet at 8 a.m. today. The weather service expects the river to slowly climb to a crest by Thursday of about 36.5 feet, and stay at about the level until the weekend, then falling slowly.
It remains unknown whether N.D. Highway 54, which enters Oslo from I-29 to the west, will be closed. Water starts flowing over the road at about 36.5 feet. Minn. Highway 1, which takes on water at 37.5 feet, remains open.
The record flood level in Oslo is 38.4 feet, set in 2009.
The Red River remains in the minor flood stage at both Drayton and Pembina, N.D., although it is expected to climb into the moderate flood range.
In Drayton, the river was at 36.93 feet at 8 a.m. today. Moderate flood stage is 38 feet, while major flood stage is 42 feet. The weather service expects the Red to crest sometime this weekend at about 41 feet.
In Pembina, the Red River was at 42.67 feet at 8 a.m. today, just below the 44-foot moderate flood stage. The weather service forecasts the river to reach 50 feet by early next week, possibly Tuesday. Major flood stage is 49 feet. The record crest is 54.9 feet, set in 1997.
In Hallock, Minn., the Two Rivers River surpassed 807 feet Tuesday and stood at 807.22 feet at 8 a.m. today. The weather service expects the crest at about 807.5 feet. Major flood stage is 810 feet.
