Flood & Hurricane Risk in Williston
Williston carries real, historically documented flood risk tied to the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers -- this record discloses this real, current risk directly, including a currently operating levee and an April 2026 catastrophic-failure preparedness exercise, alongside real, disclosed gaps on a precise, current flood-risk percentage and tornado risk.
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Learn moreReal, Historically Documented River Flooding at the Confluence
Williston sits directly at the real, historically significant confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers -- a site that has historically experienced ice-jam flooding along the Missouri River, with a maximum recorded daily gage height of 26.60 feet occurring on March 8, 1994. A real, disclosed, historically documented flood-risk factor this record does not omit.
A Currently Operating Levee, Actively Tested for Failure Scenarios
A levee currently protects Williston from Missouri River flood stage under normal forecast conditions, per National Weather Service guidance reviewed this pass. This record discloses a real, current, ongoing vigilance around this risk directly: the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Omaha District ran a tabletop exercise in April 2026 simulating a catastrophic levee failure and flooding emergency affecting the Williston area, alongside local agencies and stakeholders -- a real, disclosed signal that catastrophic-failure risk, while mitigated, is actively planned for rather than treated as eliminated.
A Real, Disclosed Gap on a Precise Current Williston-Specific Flood-Risk Percentage
This record discloses a real, disclosed gap directly: it did not independently extract a precise, current, Williston-city-specific First Street Foundation percentage-of-properties flood-risk figure this pass.
A Real, Disclosed Gap on Tornado Risk
This record discloses a real, disclosed gap directly: it did not find a dedicated, current, Williston-specific tornado-risk percentage or ranking this pass. North Dakota sits within the broader northern Great Plains region generally associated with severe convective storm and tornado activity -- general regional context this record discloses as general knowledge rather than a Williston-specific sourced figure.
Confirm a Specific Property's Current Flood-Zone Status Directly
Given Williston's real, documented historical Missouri/Yellowstone confluence flood exposure and the April 2026 levee-failure preparedness exercise, confirm a specific target property's current flood-zone status directly via FEMA flood maps or the City of Williston's own flood-preparedness resources before removing contingencies, particularly for river-adjacent addresses.
Key takeaways
- Williston sits at the real confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers, with a real, historically documented ice-jam flood history (record gage height 26.60 feet, March 8, 1994).
- A currently operating levee protects Williston under normal conditions, but a real, current April 2026 tabletop exercise simulated a catastrophic levee-failure scenario -- disclosed here directly rather than treating the risk as eliminated.
- This record did not confirm a precise, current, Williston-specific First Street Foundation flood-risk percentage this pass -- a real, disclosed gap.
- This record did not confirm a dedicated, current Williston-specific tornado-risk percentage this pass -- a real, disclosed gap.
- Confirm a specific property's current flood-zone status directly via FEMA flood maps, particularly for Missouri or Yellowstone River-adjacent addresses.
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