Souris River reaches all-time high level at Minot

MINOT, N.D. – The flooding Souris (SUHR'-is) River has reached an all-time high at Minot (MY'-nawt), breaking a record that stood for 130 years.

U.S. Geological Survey data show the river was at 1,558.52 feet above sea level at 12 p.m. Friday at the city's Broadway Bridge. That's about 9 1/2 feet above flood stage and eclipses the previous high of 1,558 feet set in 1881.

The river exceeded the level of a 1969 flood on Thursday. The crest that year was 1,555.4 feet above sea level, or 6.4 feet above flood stage.

The National Weather Service is forecasting this year's crest at 1,564.5 feet by early Sunday, or 15.5 feet above flood stage. The level is expected to begin slowly falling early Tuesday.