South Dakota, 1997

Flood in South Dakota, March 26 to 31, 1997

March 26 to 31, 1997 · NWS ABR · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 feet on March 30th. Flood stage of Turtle Creek at Redfield is 7 feet.

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

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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.

Record flooding occurred on Turtle Creek as snowmelt runoff and ice jamming caused Turtle Creek to go above flood stage around noon on the 26th with a record crest of 18.1 feet on March 30th. Flood stage of Turtle Creek at Redfield is 7 feet. Sixteen homes were evacuated in Redfield in the subdivisions of Vinegar Flats and Behula Park, including homes around Redfield Lake. Several of the homes, especially in Vinegar Flats, were flooded and damaged. Extensive sandbagging was done to save several homes. Flooding on Turtle creek continued into April.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Spink

When
March 26, 12:00 PM 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)

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

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: 5591681.