Big rise expected on Devils Lake in coming weeks

DEVILS LAKE, N.D. — Forecasters say they expect a big rise on Devils Lake in the coming weeks.

The National Weather Service says coulees draining into the lake will continue flowing despite a recent cold snap. The Grand Forks Herald reports that the agency is expecting a 2-to-3-foot rise in the lake in the next three to six weeks.

The lake is at a record level and less than 6 feet from the point at which it will overflow naturally into the Sheyenne River.

Devils Lake has quadrupled in size because of a series of wet years since the early 1990s. Flooding in the region has caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.

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