Flash Flooding in South Dakota, August 3, 2005

Name: Flash Flooding in South Dakota, August 3, 2005
Start: 2005-08-03T19:00
End: 2005-08-03T22:00
Location: South Dakota

August 3, 2005 · NWS ABR · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Heavy rains of 3 to 6 inches fell between Highmore and Ree Heights. Many township roads were flooded and a section of railroad tracks was washed out west of Ree Heights.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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: $20,000
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.

Heavy rains of 3 to 6 inches fell between Highmore and Ree Heights. Many township roads were flooded and a section of railroad tracks was washed out west of Ree Heights.

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 Aug 3, 1:00 PM CST, 6 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 3, 1:00 PM CST, 6 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
2 PM CDT WED AUG 3 2005

.SHORT TERM...TONITE THROUGH SATURDAY NITE
MAIN CONCERNS IN THE SHORT RANGE CENTER AROUND THIS EVENING.  PER
LAPS DATA SURFACE FRONT HAS PUSHED ENTIRELY THROUGH CWA.  HOWEVER
POST FRONTAL MOISTURE AND DIABATIC HEATING ARE CONTRIBUTING TO THE
DEVELOPMENT OF MODERATE TO EXTREMELY UNSTABLE CONDITIONS OVER THE
LOWER MO AND JAMES VALLEY.  MEANWHILE DRY AIR IS PUSHING INTO THE
NORTHWEST CWA AND THIS SHOULD LIMIT PCPN OVER THIS AREA.  BOTH
NAM/GFS POINT TOWARD SOUTHEAST/SC SOUTH DAKOTA AS THE HOT SPOTS THIS
EVENING...AND THAT SEEMS ABOUT RIGHT BASED ON LAPS DATA.  ALSO LOOKS
LIKE RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION OF 3H JET WILL MOVE ACROSS EASTERN SOUTH
DAKOTA THIS EVENING HELPING TO ENHANCE ACTIVITY.  MOST OF THE PCPN
SHOULD BE OUT OF THE ABR CWA BY MIDNIGHT AS DRIER AIR ADVECTS INTO
THE REGION. REALLY NOT TOO MANY ISSUES FOR THE REST OF THE SHORT
RANGE.  ANOTHER WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY DROPS INTO THE NORTHERN CWA ON
SATURDAY...BUT FOR NOW WILL KEEP GRIDS DRY SINCE MID LEVEL THERMAL
RIDGE BEGINS REASSERTING ITSELF AND PROBABLY WILL CAP OFF MOST
ACTIVITY.  AS FOR TEMPS...LOOKS PLEASANT FOR NEXT COUPLE DAYS AS AIR
OF CANADIAN ORIGIN MAKES ITS WAY INTO THE FORECAST AREA.

.LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY
EXTENDED TERM LOOKING SIMILAR TO THE PREVIOUS FORECAST FOR THE MOST
PART...WITH THE PERIOD BEGINNING WITH AN UPPER RIDGE IN CONTROL OF
THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL US. THIS ALLOWS FOR HOT AND DRY CONDITIONS
ACROSS THE STATE SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. LOOKS AS IF UPPER RIDGE
FLATTENS OUT AS A WEAK WAVE TRAVELS THROUGH SOUTHERN CANADA. THIS
WILL SWING A COLD FRONT THROUGH THE CWA TUESDAY INTO TUESDAY NIGHT.
LATEST GFS AND ECMWF IN SOMEWHAT AGREEMENT. SOME DISCONTINUITY FROM
RUN TO RUN IN THE GFS...WITH THE COLD FRONT PREVIOUSLY PROGGED TO
COME THROUGH MONDAY. OPTED TO REMOVE POPS FOR MONDAY WITH THE
SOLUTION LOOKING SLOWER...BUT WAS HESITANT TO PUT IN MENTION FOR
TUESDAY WITH THE NEW POSITION OF THE FRONT. WITH THE AMOUNT OF
UNCERTAINTY...DECIDED TO JUST LEAVE THE FORECAST DRY FOR NOW.
OTHERWISE LATEST GFS SOLUTION SHOWING WARMER CONDITIONS THROUGH THE
BEGINNING OF THE EXTENDED...SO UPPED TEMPS SUNDAY AND MONDAY ACROSS
MUCH OF THE CWA. H85 TEMPS RANGING IN THE MID 20S TO AROUND 30C
THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. IF THIS PANS OUT THE CURRENT FORECAST OF
UPPER 80S TO MID 90S MAY BE STILL BE TOO COOL.

&&
.ABR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SD...NONE.
MN...NONE.
&&

TDK/ALBRECHT

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 3, 4:41 AM CST, 14 hours 19 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
541 AM CDT WED AUG 3 2005

SDZ003>005-009-015-041039-
CAMPBELL-CORSON-DEWEY-MCPHERSON-WALWORTH-
541 AM CDT WED AUG 3 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED BY MID MORNING ACROSS THIS
AREA. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT.

MNZ039-046-SDZ006>008-010-011-016>023-033>037-045-048-051-041039-
BIG STONE-BROWN-BUFFALO-CLARK-CODINGTON-DAY-DEUEL-EDMUNDS-FAULK-
GRANT-HAMLIN-HAND-HUGHES-HYDE-JONES-LYMAN-MARSHALL-POTTER-ROBERTS-
SPINK-STANLEY-SULLY-TRAVERSE-
541 AM CDT WED AUG 3 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST
SOUTH DAKOTA...AS WELL AS BIG STONE AND TRAVERSE COUNTIES IN
MINNESOTA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THIS AREA FROM THIS
MORNING THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE
THIS AFTERNOON...MAINLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM WHEATON
MINNESOTA TO ABERDEEN SOUTH DAKOTA TO PIERRE SOUTH DAKOTA. THE
PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREATS ARE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED BY 3 PM CDT.

DORN

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 3, 3:13 PM CST, 3 hours 47 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
413 PM CDT WED AUG 03 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0405 PM     HAIL             10 N DRAPER             44.07N 100.54W
08/03/2005  1.00 INCH        JONES              SD   PUBLIC

&&

GM

Local storm report, Aug 3, 3:55 PM CST, 3 hours 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
455 PM CDT WED AUG 03 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0435 PM     TSTM WND GST     24 SSW MILLER           44.20N 99.17W
08/03/2005  70 MPH           HAND               SD   PUBLIC

            8 INCH BRANCHES BROKEN OUT OF TREE

&&

GM

Local storm report, Aug 3, 4:19 PM CST, 2 hours 41 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
519 PM CDT WED AUG 03 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0426 PM     HAIL             15 NW GANN VALLEY       44.19N 99.20W
08/03/2005  0.88 INCH        BUFFALO            SD   PUBLIC

&&

GM

Special weather statement, Aug 3, 5:50 PM CST, 1 hour 10 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
650 PM CDT WED AUG 3 2005

SDZ006-010-016-017-033>036-045-048-040046-
BROWN-EDMUNDS-FAULK-HUGHES-HYDE-JONES-LYMAN-POTTER-STANLEY-SULLY-
650 PM CDT WED AUG 3 2005

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 699 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR
BROWN...EDMUNDS...FAULK...HYDE...SULLY...HUGHES...STANLEY...JONES AND
LYMAN COUNTIES IN SOUTH DAKOTA.

THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER HAS ENDED ACROSS THESE AREAS AND THUS
THE WATCH WILL BE CANCELLED FOR THESE COUNTIES.

ALBRECHT

Local storm report, Aug 3, 6:25 PM CST, 35 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
725 PM CDT WED AUG 03 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0455 PM     HAIL             3 N GANN VALLEY         44.08N 98.99W
08/03/2005  0.75 INCH        BUFFALO            SD   PUBLIC

&&

WT

Special weather statement, Aug 3, 6:44 PM CST, 16 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
744 PM CDT WED AUG 3 2005

MNZ039-046-SDZ007-008-011-018>023-037-051-040143-
BIG STONE-BUFFALO-CLARK-CODINGTON-DAY-DEUEL-GRANT-HAMLIN-HAND-
MARSHALL-ROBERTS-SPINK-TRAVERSE-
744 PM CDT WED AUG 3 2005

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 699 CANCELLED...

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST
SOUTH DAKOTA IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

MOHR

The radar

The Aberdeen radar (KABR), 129 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:01 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Hyde

When: August 3, 7:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Hyde County, 3 mi E of Highmore
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.517, -99.367

Flash Flood, Hand

When: August 3, 7:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Hand County, 3 mi W of Ree Hgts
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.517, -99.267

What these are

Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in South Dakota in 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, August 2005

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: 5472810, 5472811.