Minot, North Dakota (CNN) -- The swollen Souris River is expected to crest this weekend after already topping its record water level on Friday, giving no respite to the thousands of people in North Dakota whose homes have been inundated by floodwater.
About 15-20% of Minot, North Dakota, was underwater late Friday, and floodwaters are expected to increase in the coming days, the National Weather Service said.
The Souris River, which locals call "The Mouse" after the French translation of its name, flows through the center of city. The river looks like a "U" and swoops in and out of North Dakota from Canada.
"Water is flowing toward Minot from Canada faster than ever due to record water levels upstream," the weather agency said Friday night. "The current forecast is for the crest to reach between 1,564 and 1,565 feet above sea level sometime during the overnight hours of June 25-26, and continuing through June 30. This crest would be more than 6 feet above record flood stage, and 9 feet above major flood stage."
The previous record of 1,558 feet above sea level was set in 1881, according to the NWS. The level was 1,560.13 on Friday evening.
Floodwater gushed through Minot on Friday. Between 3,000 and 4,000 homes have been affected by the water, and in some, the water was "up to the roofs," Minot Fire Department Battalion Chief John Hocking said.
"This is by far the toughest we've seen," Hocking said.
Crews were trying to keep the vital north-south U.S. Highway 83 open as the waters stopped railroad service and sent residents and zoo animals to higher ground. Officials worried that more levees would be breached.
A special focus was the so-called Broadway Bridge on U.S. 83, which spans the river. If it closes, Minot effectively would be split, making it tougher for emergency vehicles and repair crews to move about.
"It's really important that bridge stays open," said Cecily Fong, spokeswoman for the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services.
Workers reinforced levees and built huge dikes to stem the flow of the river, Hocking said Friday night. Air boats were brought in earlier.
"This has been a very trying time for our community," Mayor Curt Zimbelman said. "Emotionally draining for all of us."
The rush of water prompted the overflowing of a lake near the city, officials said, exacerbating the region's flood concerns.
About 12,000 residents have evacuated their homes, according to Minot Fire Department Capt. Dean Lenertz.
Minot, in the north-central part of the state, is the fourth-largest city in North Dakota. The evacuation order covers a third of its population, state Emergency Services spokeswoman Cecily Fong said.
Zimbelman has said that no new evacuations have been ordered, even though "the flows coming into Lake Darling are reaching the lake quicker and at a greater volume than predicted."
"Due to this, Lake Darling has increased its outflow," the mayor said -- increasing flooding in the floodplain, though not to a point that it yet changes the "inundation zone."
About 800 National Guard troops were in the city late Friday to assist, Fong said.
Hocking said he took an aerial tour of areas around Minot and said saw widespread flooding.
"All along you could see are rooftops and flooded areas," he said.
Water has topped the city's dikes since Wednesday, which are leaking in some places.CNN's Phil Gast, Marlena Baldacci, Jim Spellman and Alta Spells contributed to this report.
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