Fargo lowers expected flood crest

The forecasted flood for Fargo, North Dakota, might not be as bad as thought.

An updated forecast, released Wednesday by the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS), has lowered the predicted crest by nearly one foot (25 cm) from the last forecast.

"We're currently saying that the top end of the forecast range for Fargo is at about 40 feet now, expected sometime late [next week] on Thursday, maybe into Friday," said Greg Gust, the warning coordinator for the NWS.

The reason for the revision is because the melt is going so slowly, according to Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker, who said the city is now re-assessing the height of the dikes.

Students in Fargo, who were ready to pile sandbags, are now waiting until officials know better what sort of flood they're facing and where the risk is greatest.

"We were going to deploy them on Thursday, and right now we've put that off until Friday," Walaker said.

The the city will still build dikes, where needed, to 43 feet to protect against a worst-case scenario, he added.

Meanwhile, on this side of the border, in Emerson, Man., officials are also waiting to see what happens in Fargo before they start any major preparations.

Gust is still working on forecasts for the Upper Red River Valley, heading north towards the Manitoba border.