Flooding along the James River from heavy rain and snowmelt continued through the month of April. The flooding spread downstream from the Mitchell area to part of the lower James River which was not above flood stage at the end of March.
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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.
The episode as NWS FSD wrote it up.
Flooding along the James River from heavy rain and snowmelt continued through the month of April. The flooding spread downstream from the Mitchell area to part of the lower James River which was not above flood stage at the end of March. Flooding along the river was major, causing closure of some roads, and affecting pastureland, farmland, and some neighborhoods.
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 Mar 31, 3:00 PM CST, 9 hours earlier.
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</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Moderate to major flooding continued along the James River. The river rose during all of April, reaching a level 5.6 feet above flood stage at Huron at the end of the month. Increasing numbers of roads were closed, and pastureland and farmland along the river was flooded.
Moderate to major flooding continued along the James River. The river rose during all of April, reaching a level 3.9 feet above flood stage near Forestburg at the end of the month. Increasing numbers of roads were closed, and pastureland and farmland along the river was flooded.
Moderate to major flooding continued along the James River. The river rose during all of April, reaching a level 4.7 feet above flood stage at Mitchell at the end of the month. Increasing numbers of roads were closed, and pastureland and farmland along the river was flooded. A Mitchell neighborhood near the river consisting mainly of mobile homes was flooded.
Moderate to major flooding continued along the James River. The river rose during all of April, reaching its highest level at the end of the month. Increasing numbers of roads were closed, and pastureland and farmland along the river was flooded.
Moderate to major flooding continued along the James River, spreading downstream along the river in the first few days of the month. The river rose during all of April, reaching its highest level at the end of the month. Increasing numbers of roads were closed, and pastureland and farmland along the river was flooded.
Moderate to major flooding spread downstream along the James River in early April and continued through the end of the month. The river rose during all of April, reaching a level 3 feet above flood stage near Scotland at the end of the month. Increasing numbers of roads were closed, and pastureland and farmland along the river was flooded.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in South Dakota in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, April 2009
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 168024, 168025, 168026, 168027, 168028, 168029.