Flooding in South Dakota, May 1 to 31, 2001

Name: Flooding in South Dakota, May 1 to 31, 2001
Start: 2001-05-01T00:00
End: 2001-05-31T23:59
Location: South Dakota

May 1 to 31, 2001 · NWS FSD · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

Flooding from spring snowmelt and heavy rains was ongoing on the James River at the beginning of the month. Flooding was mainly of lowlands including some farmland.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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 and heavy rains was ongoing on the James River at the beginning of the month. Flooding was mainly of lowlands including some farmland. Highest stages for the month were on the first with water levels falling slowly during most of the month.

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 Sioux Falls, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 30, 8:35 PM CST, 3 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 30, 8:35 PM CST, 3 hours 25 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR SOUTHEAST SD/SOUTHWEST MN/NORTHWEST IA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
935 PM CDT MON APR 30 2001

BIG SVR TSTM OUTBREAK ALG MOISTURE CONVERGENCE ZONE FM SWRN MN TO
NWRN IA AND FAR SERN SD LATE THIS AFTN THRU EARLY EVE...HAS PULLED
OFF TO SE OF CWA. LOW LVL MOISTURE SHOULD LINGER IN SAME AREA REST
OF TNGT AND REDVLPMT OF ISOLD SHWRS/TSTMS STILL PSBL ALG WITH A FEW
AREAS OF FOG. MOST OF SD PART OF CWA SHOULD HAVE LESS LOW LVL
MOISTURE AND SHOULD BE LESS PRONE TO NEW DVLPMT AS CDFNT MOVES SEWD
INTO CWA TUE. DID A LOT OF FINE TUNING TO PREV FCST TNGT INTO TUE.

.FSD...NONE
RYRHOLM

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 30, 8:45 PM CST, 3 hours 15 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
945 PM CDT MON APR 30 2001

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0513 PM    HARTLEY                   IA   1.75 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   OBRIEN                         REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

0520 PM    AKRON                     IA   .88 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   PLYMOUTH                       REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

0523 PM    NORTH SIOUX CITY          SD   .75 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   UNION                          REPORTED BY FIRE AND
                                          RESCUE.

0530 PM    4 S SHELDON               IA   TORNADO
04/30/01   OBRIEN                         REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

0535 PM    SIOUX CITY                IA   .75 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   WOODBURY                       REPORTED BY MEDIA.

0540 PM    4 SSE SHELDON             IA   TORNADO
04/30/01   OBRIEN                         RECEIVED NUMEROUS
                                          REPORTS FROM VARIOUS
                                          STORM SPOTTERS.

0545 PM    3 SE ALLEN                NE   .75 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   DIXON                          REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

0552 PM    ARNOLDS PARK              IA   1 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   DICKINSON                      REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

0553 PM    1 W SANBORN               IA   .75 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   OBRIEN                         REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

0555 PM    5 S SHELDON               IA   TORNADO
04/30/01   OBRIEN                         REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

0555 PM    CHANDLER                  MN   1 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   MURRAY                         HAIL COVERING GROUND.
                                          LAW ENFORCEMENT
                                          DISPATCH HAD BEEN
                                          GETTING REPORTS FOR
                                          PAST 10 MINUTES.

0558 PM    SANBORN                   IA   .75 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   OBRIEN                         REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

0605 PM    IONA                      MN   .75 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   MURRAY                         REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

0605 PM    IONA                      MN   .75 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   MURRAY                         REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

0608 PM    SHELDON                   IA   .75 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   OBRIEN                         REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

0610 PM    SHELDON                   IA   .88 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   OBRIEN                         REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

0610 PM    SHELDON                   IA   1 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   SIOUX                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

0612 PM    5 S SHELDON               IA   .75 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   OBRIEN                         REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

0615 PM    FULDA                     MN   2 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   MURRAY                         REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

0623 PM    1 SE HUBBARD              NE   1 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   DAKOTA                         REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

0638 PM    2 S DAKOTA CITY           NE   .75 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   DAKOTA                         REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

0645 PM    DUNDEE                    MN   1.25 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   NOBLES                         REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
                                          MANAGEMENT.

0645 PM    DUNDEE                    MN   65 MPH TSTM GUST
04/30/01   NOBLES                         REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
                                          MANAGEMENT.

0646 PM    HOMER                     NE   1 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   DAKOTA                         REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

0651 PM    WINDOM                    MN   1 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   COTTONWOOD                     REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

0655 PM    HERON LAKE                MN   1 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   JACKSON                        REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
                                          MANAGEMENT.

0700 PM    HERON LAKE                MN   1.75 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   JACKSON                        REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

0704 PM    SERGEANT BLUFF            IA   .75 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   WOODBURY                       REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

0712 PM    HERON LAKE                MN   1 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   JACKSON                        REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

0720 PM    3 E GEORGE                IA   1 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   LYON                           REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

0722 PM    1 NE ROCK VLY             IA   1 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   SIOUX                          HAIL STARTED AT 712 PM
                                          AND LASTED FOR 10
                                          MINUTES. REPORTED BY
                                          STORM SPOTTER.

0729 PM    ROCK VLY                  IA   .75 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   SIOUX                          HAIL OCCURRED PAST 15
                                          MINUTES AND COVERS THE
                                          GROUND. REPORTED BY
                                          PUBLIC.

0730 PM    SERGEANT BLUFF            IA   .75 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   WOODBURY                       REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

0730 PM    HUBBARD                   NE   1.75 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   DAKOTA                         REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

0735 PM    3 ENE DOON                IA   .88 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   LYON                           REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

0755 PM    1 W SALIX                 IA   2.5 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   WOODBURY                       ALSO REPORTED 2.9
                                          INCHES OF RAIN IN
                                          SALIX. REPORTED BY
                                          PUBLIC.

0810 PM    1 W HORNICK               IA   TORNADO
04/30/01   WOODBURY                       REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFO|RCEMENT OFFICIAL.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Beadle

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Beadle forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 44.415, -98.278 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Davison

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 30, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Davison forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.675, -98.146 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Hanson

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Hanson forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.675, -97.787 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Hutchinson

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Hutchinson forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.335, -97.754 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Sanborn

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Sanborn forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 44.023, -98.091 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Yankton

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Yankton forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.009, -97.395 (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

Every storm in South Dakota in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, May 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: 5243636, 5243637, 5243638, 5243639, 5243640, 5243641.