South Dakota, 2014

Flood in South Dakota, March 11 to 15, 2014

March 11 to 15, 2014 · NWS ABR · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Ice jamming and snowmelt caused the Moreau River near Whitehorse to rise to above the flood stage of 21 feet on the 11th during the afternoon hours. The river rose to over 27 feet on the 14th around noon before falling back to below flood stage on the 15th in the early afternoon.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
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.

Ice jamming and snowmelt caused the Moreau River near Whitehorse to rise to above the flood stage of 21 feet on the 11th during the afternoon hours. The river rose to over 27 feet on the 14th around noon before falling back to below flood stage on the 15th in the early afternoon. Lowland flooding occurred with some ranchers moving their cattle out of these areas.

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 11, 1:17 PM MST, 43 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 11, 1:17 PM MST, 43 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

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Dewey

When
March 11, 2:00 PM MST to March 15, 11:00 AM MST
Where
Dewey County, 7.18 mi NNW of Bear Creek to 8.64 mi SSW of Isabel
Cause
Heavy Rain / Snow Melt
Reported by
River/Stream Gage
Coordinates
45.170, -101.490

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 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, March 2014

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 507542.