Flood, Roberts
- When
- April 5, 10:00 AM CST to April 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Roberts forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.630, -96.946 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flooding in South Dakota, April 5 to 30, 1997
5 inches on April 5th brought Lake Traverse and Big Stone Lake to record levels. 15 feet above sea level, 2 feet over the old record in 1952.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
- 2
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.
Near record to record snowmelt and heavy rains of 1.5 to 2.5 inches on April 5th brought Lake Traverse and Big Stone Lake to record levels. Big Stone Lake rose to 975.15 feet above sea level, 2 feet over the old record in 1952. The rising lake threatened to breech the Big Stone Dam. Many people were evacuated as a result. Hundreds of people worked around the clock filling sandbags to fortify the dam. As both Big Stone Lake and Lake Traverse rose, many homes, resorts, businesses, and personal property were flooded. As a result, there was extensive damage. On April 28th, the town of White Rock was evacuated as eight inches of water covered the town and many evacuations occurred around the lakes.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, Grant
- When
- April 5, 10:00 AM CST to April 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Grant forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.172, -96.768 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
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: 5599133, 5599134.