Please join us as we pray for ongoing protection from the flood.
Holy St. Joseph, faithful Guardian of the Redeemer and Spouse of the Virgin Mary, we humbly and confidently beseech your intercession and help. So trustworthy are you that God the Father entrusted you with His greatest treasures, Jesus His beloved Son and Mary His Blessed Mother. Therefore, with sure and grateful confidence, we now entrust ourselves and all that we have to you so that you may watch over us, protect us, and obtain for us all that the Father wants us to receive. May you guard over Cardinal Muench Seminary, all the people of the Red River valley, and provide for all our temporal needs. Protect from harm all who assist us in this hour of danger. May all that we do be in harmony with the will of God and for His greater glory. Amen.
The spring thaw of the Red River in 2010 was less dramatic than first anticipated. A forecast has not been issued for a second crest. Warmer weather will continue to melt the remaining snow at a slow but steady rate.
At about 10:00 a.m. the Red River crested in Fargo at 36.99 feet.
Level of the Red River (in blue) and prediction (in green) as of March 21st
For the first time since March 3rd, the temperature all day is below freezing. Because of the slower snow melt, the latest prediction from the National Weather Service is that the Red River will crest lower than predictions earlier in the week. As the pictures below show, there is still a lot of water flowing through our backyard.
The Red River behind CMS on March 19th
Level of the Red River on March 17th (left) and March 19th (right)
Level of the Red River in June (left) and on March 17th, 2010 (right)
Level of the Red River (in blue) and
prediction (in green) as of March 17th
The latest forecast from the National Weather Service is that the Red River will crest in Fargo on Sunday at 38 feet. With snow still on the ground and water beginning to enter the Red River basin from the south, they predict that the level of the Red to remain high for an extended period of time. At this time, there is no prediction for the river to rise above 38 feet. With the CMS dike at a level of at least 42.5 feet, the seminary and neighborhood are well protected. It has been decided that sandbagging is not needed at this time.
All last week the temperature was above freezing, a new record for the earliest spring thaw in Fargo. With temperatures in the mid- to upper 30s, the snow melt has begun, but it has been slow. The level of the Red River is steadily rising. The runoff from the Bois de Sioux and Wild Rice rivers (upstream from Fargo) have yet to impact the level of the Red.
The new flood forecast indicates that the river is expected to crest at between 37 and 39 feet on Saturday, March 20th, 2 – 3 weeks earlier than was originally expected. The City of Fargo closes the sluice gate when the river exceeds a level of 25 feet, which should occur later this morning.
The city came out shortly after noon and closed the gate. Pumps which move water which has collected behind the dike back into the river were started. The pumps will continue to run until the river drops below 25 feet.
The cities of Fargo and Moorhead are preparing for the worst from the 2010 spring thaw. The conditions this past fall and winter have been similar to what lead to the record setting Red River flood last year. The one-half mile long dike surrounding Cardinal Muench Seminary was completely rebuilt during the summer (details below). Now we watch and pray that CMS and the surrounding communities are spared a destructive 2010 flood.
Preparations for the 2010 flood of the Red River began immediately after the record flood in March of 2009. During the summer of 2009 the CMS dike, which had been temporarily raised to combat the flood waters, was completely rebuilt.
First, heavy equipment moved the clay soil, which had been dumped on top of the old dike during the flood crisis, to one pile, while the topsoil (which had capped the old dike) was dug up and put off to the other side. In the pictures below, the clay soil appears brownish-gray, while the topsoil appears darker (black).
The clay soil was then moved back and shaped to re-form the dike. It was then compacted by an odd machine with a large perforated drum in front of it. This was done in layers to make sure that the earth was firmly packed together.
Once the clay foundation was complete, the topsoil was moved over the top of it. Finally, the rebuilt dike was seeded.
The finished dike, at a level of 42.5 feet above the Red bed, stands ready to protect CMS and the surrounding neighborhood. One unfortunate side-effect of the reconstructed dike is that the Red River is no longer visible from our back door; however this is a small price to pay for the security it affords.
Text and pictures from the 2009 flood
City of Fargo Flood Information Center
Current level of the Red River from the National Weather Service (which is the source of the graph showing the current and predicted river levels)