Flood, Hamlin
- When
- May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Hamlin forecast zone
- Measured
- 35
- Coordinates
- 44.674, -97.188 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood in South Dakota, May 1 to 31, 1997
Lake Poinsett remained four feet overfull through the end of May and continued to flood many homes and cabins. Nearly fifteen families were still not able to get to their homes by the end of May.
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.
Lake Poinsett remained four feet overfull through the end of May and continued to flood many homes and cabins. Nearly fifteen families were still not able to get to their homes by the end of May. The high lake level combined with several days of strong winds gusting to 40 mph resulted in four foot waves on the lake. The days with the strongest winds were the 5th, 8th, 11th, and 13th. The high waves combined with floating debris, landscaping logs, railroad ties, timber, docks, etc., continued to cause considerable damage to cabins and homes around the lake. Broken windows and doors were the main things damaged.
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
- 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: 5605362.