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FGUS73 KBIS 111812
ESFBIS
NDC015-059-120215-

Hydrologic Outlook
National Weather Service Bismarck ND
1212 PM CST Thu Dec 11 2025

...MISSOURI RIVER BELOW GARRISON DAM ICE UPDATE...

The Missouri River below Garrison Dam remains largely ice free all
the way down past the Hazelton boat ramp.  While colder weather over
upcoming weekend is likely to cause the formation of small, mobile
sheets of ice on the Missouri River, this will likely be short-lived
and not lead to an ice covered river in the Bismarck and Mandan area.

Daily high temperatures in the high 20s and 40s revisit the area
around the middle of next week. This will again cease ice production
until perhaps sometime around Christmas.

While this is shaping up to be a somewhat later than normal freezing
in of the Missouri River, since 2010...there have been years where
the Missouri River in and around the Bismarck area did not become ice
covered until late February.

Nonetheless, the normal rise in the river as it develops its ice
cover have ranged from a low of 4.9 feet to as much as 6.9 feet,
often in well under 24 hours. The USGS river gage in Bismarck has
been around a stage of 4.1 feet the past several days, this would
suggest the reasonable range for the Missouri River once ice does
accumulate will be between 9.0 and 11.0 feet, but with ice
constricting the normal flow in the river, there is always the
potential for a larger rise than normal. Minor Flood Stage for the
Missouri River in Bismarck is 14.5 feet.

Residents along the river are advised to be prepared for rapidly
rising water and should ensure their personal property, such as boat
docks, etc are safely above the reasonably expected water levels.

Lastly, when the eventual freezing of the river does take place, any
problematic high water should be reported to your local emergency
management office.


$$

Schlag