One of the worst spring floods in regional history was in 1969.
Snowfall that winter had been only moderately heavy. The total in Fargo Moorhead for the winter was 41.4 inches. However, the winter of 1968-69 was a hard winter in other ways; bitterly cold and windy with frequent ground blizzard conditions which piled snow into huge drifts.
March remained cold, delaying any preliminary melting. In April, the weather warmed into the 50s and 60s. Heavy rains of almost two inches accompanied the warmth and caused a rapid melt and a sudden flood.
The Red River peaked April 15 in Fargo at 37.34 feet but the crest continued northward. In Winnipeg, the flood of 1969 was the first to test the new Winnipeg Diversion known as “Duff’s Ditch,” which probably saved Winnipeg even though it likely worsened flooding in smaller communities along the river in southern Manitoba.
