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South Dakota Flood Stories

999 first-hand accounts of flood events in South Dakota, ranked by impact. Each is a NOAA-written narrative of the moment.

Flash Flood$150K damage

Meade, SD · May 29, 2014

A cluster of thunderstorms developed and regenerated over southwestern Meade County during the late afternoon and early evening. Quarter to golf ball size hail occasionally fell in the Bear Butte area.

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Flash Flood

Gregory, SD · Aug 9, 2019

Scattered thunderstorms developed across central South Dakota during the late afternoon hours and moved southeast into an environment of deep mixed-layer instability and effective shear of around 50 knots in the evening.

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Flash Flood$50K damage

Meade, SD · May 29, 2013

Thunderstorms developed along the eastern slopes of the Black Hills and adjacent plains from Nisland to Sturgis to the Rapid City area. As these storms moved toward the northwest, they redeveloped and became stationary over the eastern foothills.

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Flood$460K damage

Brown, SD · May 11, 1998

Heavy rain of 2 to 4 inches with some amounts nearing 5 inches fell across a large part of the six county area mainly on the evening of the 11th. This round of heavy rain only exacerbated the already extensive flooding occurring from many years of above normal precipitation.

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Flood

Charles Mix, SD · Aug 31, 2019

As a weak disturbance acted to focus persistent lower to mid-level warm advection, persistent showers with only a rogue flash of lightning or two blossomed in the high moisture content air mass.

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Flood

Charles Mix, SD · Aug 31, 2019

As a weak disturbance acted to focus persistent lower to mid-level warm advection, persistent showers with only a rogue flash of lightning or two blossomed in the high moisture content air mass.

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Flood$200K damage

Moody, SD · Apr 1, 2011

Major flooding of the Big Sioux River, other streams, lakes, and general flooding, which began with a rapid March snowmelt, continued through April.

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Flood$200K damage

Butte, SD · Jun 1, 2013

A large upper level low pressure system pushed across the Northern Plains, bringing heavy rain to the northern Black Hills. Embedded thunderstorms produced additional heavy rain, with four to six inches of rain falling over a 24 hour period.

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Flood$380K damage

Roberts, SD · Apr 7, 2001

Heavy rain of 1 to 3 inches combined with snowmelt runoff brought flooding to parts of northeast South Dakota. Many roads across Clark, Grant, Hamlin, Deuel, and Roberts counties were flooded and damaged.

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Flood$320K damage

Marshall, SD · May 11, 1998

Heavy rain of 2 to 4 inches with some amounts nearing 5 inches fell across a large part of the six county area mainly on the evening of the 11th. This round of heavy rain only exacerbated the already extensive flooding occurring from many years of above normal precipitation.

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Flood$320K damage

Clark, SD · Apr 7, 2001

Heavy rain of 1 to 3 inches combined with snowmelt runoff brought flooding to parts of northeast South Dakota. Many roads across Clark, Grant, Hamlin, Deuel, and Roberts counties were flooded and damaged.

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Flash Flood$10K damage

Tripp, SD · May 22, 2016

A cluster of severe thunderstorms tracked slowly northeastward from Nebraska across south central South Dakota during the late afternoon and evening. Large hail and strong wind gusts were reported across Todd and southern Tripp Counties.

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Flood$310K damage

Spink, SD · May 11, 1998

Heavy rain of 2 to 4 inches with some amounts nearing 5 inches fell across a large part of the six county area mainly on the evening of the 11th. This round of heavy rain only exacerbated the already extensive flooding occurring from many years of above normal precipitation.

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Flash Flood$286K damage

Pennington, SD · Jun 2, 1997

During the late afternoon and early evening a localized but rather intense flash-flood occurred in the Rapid Creek drainage basin. A thunderstorm produced rainfall amounts of 2 to 3 inches in less than an hour from Deerfield to Rapid City.

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Flash Flood$40K damage

Grant, SD · Jul 14, 2013

A line of storms moving across north central South Dakota during the early morning hours on the 14th became heavy rainfall producing thunderstorms for northeastern South Dakota. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 5 inches caused mainly localized flooding.

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Flash Flood$275K damage

Sully, SD · Sep 2, 1999

Very heavy rains from thunderstorms repeatedly going over the same area resulted in extensive flash flooding in a 30 to 40 mile wide band from Fort Pierre in southeast Stanley County to Hecla in northeast Brown County.

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Flood$260K damage

Clark, SD · May 11, 1998

Heavy rain of 2 to 4 inches with some amounts nearing 5 inches fell across a large part of the six county area mainly on the evening of the 11th. This round of heavy rain only exacerbated the already extensive flooding occurring from many years of above normal precipitation.

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Flash Flood$250K damage

Meade, SD · Jun 14, 1996

Torrential downpours from a nearly stationary thunderstorm dumped more than 5 inches, and locally as much as 10 inches of rain between Sturgis and Hereford from 1600-1900 MST. Flooding mostly affected locations along Alkali Creek.

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Flood$25K damage

Butte, SD · May 29, 2013

Thunderstorms developed along the eastern slopes of the Black Hills and adjacent plains from Nisland to Sturgis to the Rapid City area. As these storms moved toward the northwest, they redeveloped and became stationary over the eastern foothills.

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Flood$240K damage

Grant, SD · Apr 7, 2001

Heavy rain of 1 to 3 inches combined with snowmelt runoff brought flooding to parts of northeast South Dakota. Many roads across Clark, Grant, Hamlin, Deuel, and Roberts counties were flooded and damaged.

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Flood$1.0M damage

Kingsbury, SD · Apr 1, 2011

Flooding of lakes and lowlands in several counties in southeast South Dakota continued through April. The flooding included farmland and other lowlands, with some roads flooded and damaged.

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Flood$100K damage

Minnehaha, SD · Apr 1, 2011

Major flooding of the Big Sioux River, other streams, lakes, and general flooding, which began with a rapid March snowmelt, continued through April.

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Flood$100K damage

Lincoln, SD · Apr 1, 2011

Major flooding of the Big Sioux River, other streams, lakes, and general flooding, which began with a rapid March snowmelt, continued through April.

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Flood$100K damage

Union, SD · Apr 1, 2011

Major flooding of the Big Sioux River, other streams, lakes, and general flooding, which began with a rapid March snowmelt, continued through April.

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