999 first-hand accounts of flood events in South Dakota, ranked by impact. Each is a NOAA-written narrative of the moment.
Major flooding of the James River, other streams, lakes, and general flooding, which began with a rapid March snowmelt, continued through April. Water levels with the more general areal flooding were at the highest at the start of April.
Read the full account →Major flooding of the James River, other streams, lakes, and general flooding, which began with a rapid March snowmelt, continued through April. Water levels with the more general areal flooding were at the highest at the start of April.
Read the full account →Major flooding of the James River, other streams, lakes, and general flooding, which began with a rapid March snowmelt, continued through April. Water levels with the more general areal flooding were at the highest at the start of April.
Read the full account →An area of low pressure over northeastern Wyoming interacted with a stationary boundary across western South Dakota and produced slow moving thunderstorms. With ample low level moisture over the area, the thunderstorms produced torrential rainfall.
Read the full account →An area of low pressure over northeastern Wyoming interacted with a stationary boundary across western South Dakota and produced slow moving thunderstorms. With ample low level moisture over the area, the thunderstorms produced torrential rainfall.
Read the full account →An area of low pressure over northeastern Wyoming interacted with a stationary boundary across western South Dakota and produced slow moving thunderstorms. With ample low level moisture over the area, the thunderstorms produced torrential rainfall.
Read the full account →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.
Read the full account →Snowmelt flooding in March continued across much of central and northeast South Dakota as the rest of the snowpack melted into early April. Many roads along with countless acres of crop and pastureland remained flooded.
Read the full account →Thunderstorms fired along a slowly moving cold front during the early evening. Initially discrete, strong updrafts with 2000-2500 J/kg MLCAPE and deep-layer shear around 50 knots resulted in supercells, which later congealed into a slowly progressing line.
Read the full account →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.
Read the full account →Strong frontal forcing resulted in the redevelopment of elevated thunderstorms during the very early morning to the west of the band from the previous evening.
Read the full account →Strong frontal forcing resulted in the redevelopment of elevated thunderstorms during the very early morning to the west of the band from the previous evening.
Read the full account →Strong frontal forcing resulted in the redevelopment of elevated thunderstorms during the very early morning to the west of the band from the previous evening.
Read the full account →Spurred by a period of excessive precipitation from September 10-12 that resulted in 5 to 10 inches of rainfall in the middle to upper reaches of the Big Sioux River Basin and 2 to 5 inches from Sioux Falls downstream, extreme rises occurred mid-month, with many basin locations…
Read the full account →Repeating heavy rain caused record flooding of the lower Big Sioux River from June 15th through June 26th. Considerable flooding of farmland and other lowlands included numerous roads, with some roads damaged and a few washed out.
Read the full account →Major flooding of the Big Sioux River, other streams, lakes, and general flooding, which began with a rapid March snowmelt, continued through April.
Read the full account →Major flooding of the James River, other streams, lakes, and general flooding, which began with a rapid March snowmelt, continued through April. Water levels with the more general areal flooding were at the highest at the start of April.
Read the full account →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.
Read the full account →Heavy rain of 1 to 3 inches combined with runoff from snowmelt brought flooding throughout Codington county, especially in the Watertown area along the Big Sioux River and at Lake Kampeska.
Read the full account →Heavy rainfall of 3 to 8 inches in a few hours caused widespread flash flooding of streets, parks, ditches, homes and businesses, and other low areas in the central and southern parts of Sioux Falls, and just south of the city.
Read the full account →Thunderstorms fired along a slowly moving cold front during the early evening. Initially discrete, strong updrafts with 2000-2500 J/kg MLCAPE and deep-layer shear around 50 knots resulted in supercells, which later congealed into a slowly progressing line.
Read the full account →Continued high dam releases, along with another period of very heavy rainfall in the middle of the month, maintained river flooding along much of the Missouri River between Fort Randall and Gavins Point Dams.
Read the full account →Continued high dam releases, along with another period of very heavy rainfall in the middle of the month, maintained river flooding along much of the Missouri River between Fort Randall and Gavins Point Dams.
Read the full account →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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