Flood, Dewey
- When
- March 21, 2:00 AM CST to March 26, 7:00 AM CST
- Where
- Dewey forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.157, -100.872 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood in South Dakota, March 21 to 26, 1997
The near record to record snowpack of the winter of 1996-97 meltdown resulted in high runoff into the Moreau River through Dewey county and many ice jams. 4 feet at the river gage two miles southeast of Whitehorse.
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.
The near record to record snowpack of the winter of 1996-97 meltdown resulted in high runoff into the Moreau River through Dewey county and many ice jams. High runoff and ice jams resulted in a record stage on the Moreau River on March 21st of 27.4 feet at the river gage two miles southeast of Whitehorse. Flood stage here is 21 feet. Many roads, pasture, and farmland were flooded interrupting transportation and stranding some livestock.
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
- Flooding in North Dakota, March 21 to 31, 1997
- Winter Weather in Vermont, March 21 to 22, 1997
- Winter Weather in New York, March 21 to 22, 1997
- Flooding in South Dakota, March 21 to 31, 1997
- Flooding in South Dakota, March 21 to 24, 1997
- Waterspout in Florida, March 21, 1997
- Waterspout in U.S. Virgin Islands, March 21, 1997
- Hail in Florida, March 21, 1997
More
Every storm in South Dakota in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5591676.