Flood, Brown
- When
- May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Brown forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.590, -98.352 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flooding in South Dakota, May 1 to 31, 1997
The record flooding on the James River in March and April continued a slow fall through the month of May. The James River began the month of May at 5 to 9 feet above flood stage and dropped to 3 to 5 feet above flood stage by the end of the month at most locations.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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 record flooding on the James River in March and April continued a slow fall through the month of May. The James River began the month of May at 5 to 9 feet above flood stage and dropped to 3 to 5 feet above flood stage by the end of the month at most locations. Three miles northeast of Redfield, the James River fell below flood stage on May 19th. Thousands of acres of farmland and pastureland remained flooded by the James through May. As a result, large ecomonic losses were incurred from the inability to plant the flooded acres. Also, many county and township roads remained flooded and damaged through May, continuing the travel problems and large detours.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, Spink
- When
- May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 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
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, May 1 to 29, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, May 1, 1997
- Lightning Strike in New Jersey, May 1, 1997
- Drought in Texas, May 1 to 31, 1997
- Flooding in Idaho, May 1 to 31, 1997
- Heavy Rain in Ohio, May 1 to 31, 1997
- Flooding in Montana, May 1 to 31, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, May 1, 1997
- Flooding in Louisiana, May 1 to 9, 1997
- Flooding in Texas, May 1 to 9, 1997
- High Wind in Ohio, May 1, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Tennessee, May 1, 1997
More
Every storm in South Dakota in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, May 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: 5605360, 5605361.