South Dakota, 2018

Flooding in South Dakota, March 24 to 28, 2018

March 24 to 28, 2018 · NWS FSD · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

Runoff from snow melt along with periods of rainfall and some minor ice jams through mid March caused minor flooding along portions of the Vermillion River. Impacts were found generally in lowland agricultural locations.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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.

Runoff from snow melt along with periods of rainfall and some minor ice jams through mid March caused minor flooding along portions of the Vermillion River. Impacts were found generally in lowland agricultural locations.

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 Mar 24, 3:27 PM CST, 33 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 24, 3:27 PM CST, 33 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 24, 3:55 AM CST, 12 hours 5 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 24, 10:37 AM CST, 5 hours 23 minutes before
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Local storm report, Mar 24, 10:54 AM CST, 5 hours 6 minutes before
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Local storm report, Mar 24, 10:55 AM CST, 5 hours 5 minutes before
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Local storm report, Mar 24, 11:49 AM CST, 4 hours 11 minutes before
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Local storm report, Mar 24, 11:53 AM CST, 4 hours 7 minutes before
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Local storm report, Mar 24, 12:00 PM CST, 4 hours 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

4 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Turner

When
March 24, 4:00 PM CST to March 26, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Turner County, 1.51 mi E of Parker to 3.66 mi WSW of Centerville
Cause
Heavy Rain / Snow Melt
Reported by
River/Stream Gage
Coordinates
43.400, -97.100

Heavy rainfall along with snow melt and some ice jamming caused minor flooding of lowland agricultural areas along portions of the Vermillion River. The river reached a crest of 1.0 feet above flood stage near Davis (gage site DVSS2) on March 25.

Flood, Lincoln

When
March 24, 4:00 PM CST to March 26, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Lincoln County, 7.06 mi SW of Lennox Skie Arpt to 8.82 mi NNE of Centerville
Cause
Heavy Rain / Snow Melt
Reported by
River/Stream Gage
Coordinates
43.224, -96.924

Heavy rainfall along with snow melt and some ice jamming caused minor flooding of lowland agricultural areas along portions of the Vermillion River. The river reached a crest of 1.0 feet above flood stage near Davis (gage site DVSS2) on March 25.

Flood, Turner

When
March 27, 9:00 AM CST to March 28, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Turner County, 3.33 mi WSW of Centerville to 2.05 mi SW of Centerville
Cause
Heavy Rain / Snow Melt
Reported by
River/Stream Gage
Coordinates
43.100, -97.030

Heavy rainfall along with snow melt and some ice jamming caused minor flooding of lowland agricultural areas along portions of the Vermillion River. The river reached an estimated crest of 0.6 feet above flood stage near Wakonda (gage site WKAS2) on March 27.

Flood, Clay

When
March 27, 9:00 AM CST to March 28, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Clay County, 5.59 mi NE of Wakonda to 8.36 mi ESE of Wakonda
Cause
Heavy Rain / Snow Melt
Reported by
River/Stream Gage
Coordinates
43.084, -97.031

Heavy rainfall along with snow melt and some ice jamming caused minor flooding of lowland agricultural areas along portions of the Vermillion River. The river reached an estimated crest of 0.6 feet above flood stage near Wakonda (gage site WKAS2) on March 27.

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 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, March 2018

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: 762101, 762102, 762104, 762105.