The US State of North Dakota experienced significant flooding in its major river basins in 2009, following abnormally heavy winter snows atop saturated and frozen ground. Background Ground which was already saturated when it froze at the onset of winter, melting snow which could not be absorbed by the frozen ground, and additional precipitation from a rain storm on March 22 and a later snowstorm, are reasons for the serious flooding. Heavy snowfalls fell in the state toward the end of March, adding to the existing snowpack. Flooding Beulah and Hazen were affected by the Knife River and Spring Creek floods. Linton was affected by Big Beaver Creek floods. Barlow, Carrington, Napoleon was affected by overland flooding from heavy snowmelt. Mott was affected by the Cannonball River floods. Wells County, Foster County, and Stutsman County was affected by Pipestem river. Eddy County, Foster County, Stutsman County, La Moure County, and Dickey County was affected by James River. Ice jams Explosives had to be used blow up an ice jam on the Missouri River North Bismarck, North Dakota in Double Ditch. It was successful. Flooding would cause problems south of the Bismarck Expressway and west of Washington Street. Souris River Red River The 2009 Red River flood along the Red River of the North in North Dakota and Minnesota in the United States and Manitoba in Canada brought record flood levels to the Fargo-Moorhead area. The flood is a result of saturated and frozen ground, Spring snowmelt exacerbated by additional rain and snow storms, and virtually flat terrain. Communities along the Red River prepared for more than a week as the U.S. National Weather Service continuously updated the predictions for the city of Fargo, North Dakota with an increasingly higher projected river crest. Originally predicted to reach a level of near at Fargo by March 29, the river in fact crested at at 12:15 a.m. March 28, and started a slow decline. The river continued to rise to the north as the crest moved downstream. Predictions and preparations Wahpeton Early predictions for the Wahpeton area saw a predicted level of at least . By March 24, the National Weather Service predicted the crest in Wahpeton and Breckenridge not to top , below the cities' levees. Fargo area Warnings for the 2009 flood occurred as early as March 9 when the National Weather Service warned that the Fargo-Moorhead area could see a