Flood, Codington
- When
- April 5, 9:00 AM CST to April 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Codington forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.978, -97.189 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood in South Dakota, April 5 to 30, 1997
Snowmelt from record to near record snowpack and heavy rain of 1 to 2 inches on April the 5th caused Lake Kampeska, northwest of Watertown, to rise to 6 feet overfull flooding most homes around Lake Kampeska. Also, the Big Sioux River flooded a large part of southwest Watertown.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS ABR wrote it up.
Snowmelt from record to near record snowpack and heavy rain of 1 to 2 inches on April the 5th caused Lake Kampeska, northwest of Watertown, to rise to 6 feet overfull flooding most homes around Lake Kampeska. Also, the Big Sioux River flooded a large part of southwest Watertown. As a result, 5000 people or one-quarter of the town's population had to be evacuated from the area and put into shelter. Much of the water and sewer system had to be shutdown. Damage to the homes around the lake and in southwest Watertown was extensive. The rain changed over to snow late on the 5th and a raging blizzard ensued through the 6th as people continued to sandbag to save their property. Most of Lake Kampeska residents returned on April 10th. The lake remained above full through the end of the month and continued to flood much of the property.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Flood
- Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Blizzard in North Dakota, April 5 to 6, 1997
- Blizzard in South Dakota, April 5 to 6, 1997
- Blizzard in Minnesota, April 5 to 6, 1997
- Flood in North Dakota, April 5 to 8, 1997
- Flash Flood in Arkansas, April 5, 1997
- Flash Flood in Louisiana, April 5, 1997
- Flood in Minnesota, April 5 to 8, 1997
- Flood in Minnesota, April 5 to 9, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Wisconsin, April 5, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Louisiana, April 5, 1997
- Flash Flood in Louisiana, April 5, 1997
- Blizzard in Nebraska, April 5 to 6, 1997
More
Every storm in South Dakota in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, April 1997
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5599127.