South Dakota, 2001

Flood in South Dakota, April 7 to 13, 2001

April 7 to 13, 2001 · NWS ABR · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Heavy rain of 1 to 3 inches combined with runoff from snowmelt brought flooding throughout Codington county, especially in the Watertown area along the Big Sioux River and at Lake Kampeska. Many roads, especially gravel roads, throughout Codington county were flooded and damaged.

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
$785,000
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.

Heavy rain of 1 to 3 inches combined with runoff from snowmelt brought flooding throughout Codington county, especially in the Watertown area along the Big Sioux River and at Lake Kampeska. Many roads, especially gravel roads, throughout Codington county were flooded and damaged. The Big Sioux River near Watertown rose to 11.5 feet, 2.5 feet above flood stage, with Lake Kampeska rising to around 4 feet overfull. As a result of the flooding on the Big Sioux River, 300 people in Watertown were evacuated and were not allowed to return until the 22nd. Also, several streets were closed in Watertown due to the flooding. Hundreds of volunteers, inmates, national guardsmen, and city and emergency crews sandbagged along the Big Sioux River and Lake Kampeska to divert any flooding. A bridge on the Big Sioux River buckled due to large pieces of ice slamming into it. As Lake Kampeska rose, nearly 100 homes had to be evacuated along with 3 major businesses. Thirty homes and 2 businesses along the lake were flooded resulting in extensive damage. Lake Pelican also rose to way overfull, flooding several homes and roads.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Aberdeen, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 6, 8:45 PM CST, 4 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 6, 8:45 PM CST, 4 hours 15 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR CENTRAL/NORTHCENTRAL AND NORTHEAST
SOUTH DAKOTA AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
945 PM CDT FRI APR 6 2001

PULLED THE FFA FROM THE MO RIVER COUNTIES AS IT LOOKS LIKE BRUNT OF
PCPN WILL SPREAD UP THE JAMES AND BIG SIOUX VALLEYS OVERNIGHT. PLUS
WESTERN CWA FFG IS UP AROUND 2 INCHES.

PLENTY OF ELEVATED CONVECTION OVER CWA AND DONT DOUBT THERE  WILL BE
SOME HAIL HERE AND THERE BUT NOT EXPECTING MUCH MORE THAN THAT.
LARGE MASS OF RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS LOOKS ON TRACK TO BRING COPIOUS
RAIN TO THE EAST. LEFT WIND ADVISORY FOR WESTERN CWA LATE.  ALL
UPDATES ALREADY ISSUED.

.ABR...FLASH FLOOD WATCH JAMES AND BIG SIOUX BASINS TNT THROUGH
       MORN.
       WIND ADVISORY THROUGH SAT NOON FOR MO RIVER COUNTIES.
TDK

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, Codington

When
April 7, 1:00 AM CST to April 13, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Codington forecast zone
Property damage
$785,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
44.978, -97.189 (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 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, April 2001

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: 5243761.