| Summary: | 522 NORTH DAKOTA CENTENNIAL BLUE BOOK NORTH DAKOTA WATER RESOURCES Surface Water The state of North Dakota is separated into two major drainage basins by a continental divide running from northwest through central and southeastern part of the state. The northeastern portion of the state falls generally within the Hudson Bay drainage while the southwestern part is drained by the Missouri River to the Gulf of Mexico. The Missouri River drainage system in North Dakota includes the major subbasins of the Missouri and James Rivers. The area is characterized by a combination of glaciated terrain, with badlands and landforms of eroded, soft, sedimentary bedrock in the southwest. The badlands, located in western North Dakota, are the colorful cliffs, canyons, gorges, ravines and gullies that have been created by extensive wind and water erosion. The Hudson Bay drainage consists of the Souris and Red River systems including the large, noncontribut-ing, closed Devils Lake Basin. This region of the state is characterized by glacial landforms and lake plains. There are five major hydrologic subdivisions in North Dakota: The Missouri River Basin, the James River Basin, the Red River Basin, the Devils Lake Basin, and the Souris River Basin. NORTH DAKOTA'S FIVE MAJOR HYDROLOGIC SUBDIVISIONS The climate in North Dakota is sub- humid continental, characterized by highly variable daily, seasonal, and annual weather patterns. Annual mean precipitation in the state ranges from 13 inches in the northwest to 20 inches in the extreme east and southeast. AVE RAG J IBI1 : 111 A MARC r n c b i n i H i i u n K. NORTH DAKOTA [ MiStO » NC AVERAGE 1 j / p — • - • i 1 1 1 i 1 i i 1 STATEWIDE PRECIPITATION RECORDS FRAME PLACE AMT DATE HIGH 24 hrs. McKlnncy 7.70 June 15. 1897 Mohall 14.01 Milnor 37. M Marshall 4.02 June 1944 1944 1834 Flow in all streams is seasonally quite variable. Runoff is the greatest in early spring as a result of snow-melt water and spring rainfall. Many of the small streams experience little or no flow for extended periods during the drier summer months.
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