Flood, Brookings
- When
- May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 17, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Brookings forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.370, -96.790 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flooding in South Dakota, May 1 to 17, 1997
Flooding from spring snowmelt continued along the Big Sioux River at the beginning of May. Although secondary crests occurred early in the month, flooding was still well down from early April.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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
- 5
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 FSD wrote it up.
Flooding from spring snowmelt continued along the Big Sioux River at the beginning of May. Although secondary crests occurred early in the month, flooding was still well down from early April. Farmland and other lowland flooding abated as the river fell below flood stage around the middle of May.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
5 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, Lincoln
- When
- May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 17, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Lincoln forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.279, -96.722 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Minnehaha
- When
- May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 17, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Minnehaha forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.674, -96.791 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Moody
- When
- May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 17, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Moody forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.022, -96.671 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Union
- When
- May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 17, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Union forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.833, -96.656 (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: 5605679, 5605680, 5605681, 5605682, 5605683.