Flooding in South Dakota, March 12 to 31, 1997

Name: Flooding in South Dakota, March 12 to 31, 1997
Start: 1997-03-12T07:00
End: 1997-03-31T23:59
Location: South Dakota

March 12 to 31, 1997 · NWS FSD · 24 events in 24 counties and zones

Widespread snowmelt flooding began around the middle of March and continued through the end of the month. Record flooding occurred on the James River.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 24 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 24

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 FSD wrote it up.

Widespread snowmelt flooding began around the middle of March and continued through the end of the month. Record flooding occurred on the James River. Flooding also occurred on the Vermillion and Big Sioux Rivers and on smaller rivers and streams. Widespread flooding of farmland and other lowlands occurred, both near and away from the main river basins. Lake flooding also occurred from runoff into already full lakes. Many roads, farm buildings, and some homes and businesses were flooded. Many basements were flooded just from groundwater seepage. Communities which suffered significant flooding included Davis, Spencer, Dell Rapids, Baltic, and Renner. Travel was severely hampered by flooded roads in some areas. Farmland flooding was severe and widespread, with affected acreage estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands. The expected long duration of the flooding added to the severity. Damage to buildings, roads, and belongings could not be estimated due to the continuation and worsening of the flooding. Economic impacts due to the delayed crop planting will not be realized until the fall harvest.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

24 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Beadle

When: March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Beadle forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.415, -98.278 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Kingsbury

When: March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Kingsbury forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.370, -97.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Brookings

When: March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Brookings forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.370, -96.790 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Gregory

When: March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Gregory forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.192, -99.186 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Jerauld

When: March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Jerauld forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.066, -98.630 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Sanborn

When: March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Sanborn forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.023, -98.091 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Miner

When: March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Miner forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.022, -97.610 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Lake

When: March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Lake forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.022, -97.129 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Moody

When: March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Moody forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.022, -96.671 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Brule

When: March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Brule forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.718, -99.081 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Aurora

When: March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Aurora forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.718, -98.561 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Davison

When: March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Davison forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.675, -98.146 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Hanson

When: March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Hanson forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.675, -97.787 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, McCook

When: March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: McCook forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.674, -97.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Minnehaha

When: March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Minnehaha forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.674, -96.791 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Charles Mix

When: March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Charles Mix forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.208, -98.588 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Douglas

When: March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Douglas forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.387, -98.366 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Hutchinson

When: March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Hutchinson forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.335, -97.754 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Turner

When: March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Turner forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.311, -97.149 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Lincoln

When: March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Lincoln forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.279, -96.722 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Bon Homme

When: March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Bon Homme forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.988, -97.885 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Yankton

When: March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Yankton forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.009, -97.395 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Clay

When: March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Clay forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.915, -96.976 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Union

When: March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Union forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.833, -96.656 (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

Every storm in South Dakota in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, March 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: 5591865, 5591866, 5591867, 5591868, 5591869, 5591870, 5591871, 5591872, 5591873, 5591874, 5591875, 5591876, 5591877, 5591878, 5591879, 5591880, 5591996, 5591997, 5591998, 5591999, 5592000, 5592001, 5592002, 5592003.