South Dakota, 1997

Flash Flood and Flood in South Dakota, June 2, 1997

June 2, 1997 · NWS UNR · 4 events in 1 county or zone

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.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$433,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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 UNR wrote it up.

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. More localized amounts of four and a half inches in a half hour period were reported in the Chapel Valley area, where extensive damage was also reported. In Cleghorn Canyon, appropriately 7 miles southwest of Rapid City, the water was six to eight feet deep, washing out a couple of driveways and tearing out a couple of bridges. In Red Rock Canyon, approximately 4 miles southwest of Rapid City, the water was eight to ten feet deep and washed out some driveways, bridges, and culverts. A shed from the Chapel Valley area was also washed down stream. In the Rapid City area, some local roads were covered with six inches to over one foot of water, and a local golf course reported some minor flooding.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

2 hail, 1 flood, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Pennington

When
June 2, 3:00 PM MST to 4:00 PM MST
Where
Pennington County, Rapid City
Measured
300
Property damage
$147,000
Coordinates
44.004, -102.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Pennington

When
June 2, 3:00 PM MST to 4:00 PM MST
Where
Pennington County, 7 mi SW of Rapid City
Measured
300
Property damage
$286,000
Coordinates
44.004, -102.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Pennington

When
June 2, 3:30 PM MST
Where
Pennington County, 6 mi W of Rapid City
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
44.080, -103.330

Hail, Pennington

When
June 2, 3:40 PM MST
Where
Pennington County, 8 mi SW of Rapid City
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
44.000, -103.330

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.
Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in South Dakota in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, June 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5604861, 5604862, 5604863, 5604864.