Flooding in South Dakota, March 21 to 31, 1997

Name: Flooding in South Dakota, March 21 to 31, 1997
Start: 1997-03-21T02:00
End: 1997-03-31T23:59
Location: South Dakota

March 21 to 31, 1997 · NWS ABR · 26 events in 26 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 26 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: 26

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.

As temperatures began to warm up towards the end of March, the near record to record winter snowpack over central, north central and northeast South Dakota began to melt and runoff, filling up ditches, lakes, creeks, streams, and low-lying areas. The massive amount of water, inundated hundreds of sections of county and township roads as well as several state and federal highways. The inundated sections of roads were either broken up or washed out. Tens of culverts were blown out or damaged and several bridges were either damaged or washed out by chunks of ice and the highwater flow. Thus, road closures were extensive with rerouting taking place for school buses, mail carriers, farmers, ranchers, etc.. Many spillways and dams received some damage or were washed out. Also, thousands of acres of farmland and pastureland were underwater. Due to the high groundwater, a countless number of homes received water in their basements. A few towns were partially flooded, including Twin Brooks in Grant County, Corona in Roberts County, and Raymond in Clark County. On March 27th, in the early morning hours, water flowed into Raymond filling the basements of several homes. In rural areas, several farms were surrounded by water and were inaccessible, leaving some people stranded and livestock marooned. Many other residences and businesses, mainly across northeast South Dakota, were threatened by highwater while others received significant damage or were a total loss. As a result, several people had to be evacuated. Many long-term residents said this was the most significant flooding they had seen in their lifetimes. The flooding continued into early to mid April.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

26 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Corson

When: March 21, 2:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Corson forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.709, -101.197 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Campbell

When: March 21, 2:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Campbell forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.771, -100.052 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, McPherson

When: March 21, 2:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: McPherson forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.766, -99.221 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Brown

When: March 21, 2:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Brown forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.590, -98.352 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Marshall

When: March 21, 2:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Marshall forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.759, -97.598 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Roberts

When: March 21, 2:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Roberts forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.630, -96.946 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Walworth

When: March 21, 2:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Walworth forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.430, -100.032 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Edmunds

When: March 21, 2:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Edmunds forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.419, -99.215 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Day

When: March 21, 2:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Day forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.367, -97.607 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Dewey

When: March 21, 2:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Dewey forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.157, -100.872 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Potter

When: March 21, 2:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Potter forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.065, -99.957 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Faulk

When: March 21, 2:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Faulk forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.071, -99.145 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Spink

When: March 21, 2:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Spink forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.938, -98.346 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Clark

When: March 21, 2:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Clark forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.858, -97.729 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Codington

When: March 21, 2:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Codington forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.978, -97.189 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Grant

When: March 21, 2:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Grant forecast zone
Coordinates: 45.172, -96.768 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Hamlin

When: March 21, 2:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Hamlin forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.674, -97.188 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Deuel

When: March 21, 2:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Deuel forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.760, -96.668 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Stanley

When: March 21, 2:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Stanley forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.412, -100.736 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Sully

When: March 21, 2:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Sully forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.716, -100.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Hughes

When: March 21, 2:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Hughes forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.389, -99.996 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Hyde

When: March 21, 2:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Hyde forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.547, -99.487 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Hand

When: March 21, 2:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Hand forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.548, -99.005 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Jones

When: March 21, 2:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Jones forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.961, -100.690 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Lyman

When: March 21, 2:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Lyman forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.896, -99.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Buffalo

When: March 21, 2:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Buffalo forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.076, -99.205 (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: 5591688, 5591689, 5591690, 5591691, 5591692, 5591693, 5591694, 5591695, 5591696, 5591697, 5591698, 5591699, 5591700, 5591701, 5591702, 5591822, 5591823, 5591824, 5591825, 5591826, 5591827, 5591828, 5591829, 5591830, 5591831, 5591832.