Flooding in South Dakota, April 1 to 30, 2009

Name: Flooding in South Dakota, April 1 to 30, 2009
Start: 2009-04-01T00:00
End: 2009-04-30T23:59
Location: South Dakota

April 1 to 30, 2009 · NWS ABR · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

March flooding of the James River continued from Columbia to Ashton throughout April. The James River went above flood stage at Redfield on April 18th and continued through the end of the month.

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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $125,000
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.

March flooding of the James River continued from Columbia to Ashton throughout April. The James River went above flood stage at Redfield on April 18th and continued through the end of the month. The James River at Redfield rose to 25.7 feet on April 30th, almost 6 feet above the flood stage of 20 feet. The James River from Columbia to Ashton was from 6 to as much as 10 feet above flood stage throughout the month.

The James River continued to cause major issues throughout Brown and Spink counties for roads, fields, cropland, along with some homes. State Highway 34 was closed for about two weeks at the state border near Hecla. The flooding washed away the highway base. The James River west of Hecla became a 3 mile wide lake. Some people near Hecla said this was the highest the James River had been near Hecla in several decades. The high water forced the evacuation of people from two homes near Hecla. Many roads along the James River throughout Brown and Spink counties were closed. Also, several bridges along the river were overtopped. Many outbuildings along the river were flooded and damaged with over 100 livestock deaths attributed to the flooding.

At the Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge, both the Sand and Mud Lakes hit record levels on the morning of April 17th. Sand Lake's elevation was 1,292.58 feet, breaking the previous record of 1,292.39 feet in 1997. Mud Lake's elevation was 1,293.36 feet, breaking the previous record of 1,293.29 feet.

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 Mar 31, 2:14 PM CST, 9 hours 46 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 31, 2:14 PM CST, 9 hours 46 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 31, 5:06 AM CST, 18 hours 54 minutes before

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Brown

When: April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Brown County, 1.23 mi SSE of Columbia to 3.61 mi WSW of Stratford
Cause: Heavy Rain / Snow Melt
Property damage: $75,000
Reported by: River/Stream Gage
Coordinates: 45.604, -98.310

Flood, Spink

When: April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Spink County, 1.95 mi E of Ashton to 3.67 mi ENE of Ashton
Cause: Heavy Rain / Snow Melt
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: River/Stream Gage
Coordinates: 44.999, -98.460

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 2009 Every state in 2009 This day in weather history Warnings in South Dakota, April 2009

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 166876, 166877.