54
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$18.1M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Grand Forks County, North Dakota: 54 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #550 nationally and #1 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Grand Forks County, North Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Grand Forks County is the 2000s, when 29 of the county's 54 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Grand Forks County archive, flash flood makes up 5.3% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #550 for this hazard and #1 within North Dakota, putting it in the 82.1 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for flash flood in Grand Forks County with 20 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13, 2000 | LARIMORE | 0 | 2 | 0 | $4.0M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 4, 2025 | MERRIFIELD | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 4, 2025 | GRAND FORKS | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 29, 2024 | GRAND FORKS | 0 | $1K |
| Apr 23, 2022 | GRAND FORKS | 0 | $50K |
| Jul 16, 2021 | MC CANNA | 0 | $15K |
| Jul 15, 2021 | MC CANNA | 0 | $100K |
| Jul 15, 2021 | MC CANNA | 0 | $10K |
| Jul 4, 2020 | MANVEL | 0 | $50K |
| Jul 1, 2020 | BOLACK | 0 | $50K |
| Jul 1, 2020 | EMERADO | 0 | $50K |
Other hazards here
More from Grand Forks County
- Thunderstorm Wind 400
- Hail 391
- Tornado 92
- Funnel Cloud 42
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
After receiving 15 to 20 inches of rain over portions of western Grand Forks county, the area around Larimore quickly experienced flooding problems. During the rainfall, two men from the area decided to drive to Larimore to get something to eat. They drove into a washed out section of gravel road 30 feet deep with rushing water at the bottom. Both died in the crash about 7 miles west of Larimore. 600 feet of railroad bed washed away near Larimore, when two 3 foot diameter culverts washed out. 10 Burlington Northern-Santa Fe trains pass through this stretch daily as well as AMTRAK trains. At the Larimore Dam, water rose behind the dam and then overflowed the top. The water then cascaded 40 to 50 feet down the rocky cliffs below the dam, making it appear that the dam had failed. In the town of Larimore, water rose above the curbs. North of town, on the south branch of the Turtle River, water flowed 7 feet deep over the highway 18 bridge.
After receiving 15 to 20 inches of rain over portions of western Grand Forks county, the Turtle River rose to historic levels. At Arvilla, the Turtle River was a peaceful 2.04 feet June 12th at 11 pm. By June 13th at 2 pm, the river rose to 20.82 feet. Damage was especially high at the Turtle River State Park. Damages occurred at the main lodge, two year-round residences, the park office basement, parking lots, bridges, and roads. The park, at the height of the summer recreation season, was closed for several weeks while the mess was cleaned up. Preliminary damage estimates at the park came in at $500,000.
After receiving 15 to 20 inches of rain over portions of western Grand Forks county, flash flooding hit the town of Gilby. The flooding temporarily wiped out the drinking water supply for the 250 people of Gilby. Nearly all of the 100 homes in town had water in their basements. Just northeast of Gilby, two teenage boys were injured when they drove around a barracade and into water overflowing a county road. One broke a leg and the other injured his head. A 30-40 yard section of railroad track was washed out south of Gilby. Volunteers from the Grand Forks Air Force Base helped sandbag portions of the town.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Grand Forks County, North Dakota?
54 flash flood events are recorded in Grand Forks County between 1996 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Grand Forks County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Grand Forks County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Grand Forks County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flash Flood in Grand Forks County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/grand-forks-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.