South Dakota, 2019

Flooding in South Dakota, March 22 to 31, 2019

March 22 to 31, 2019 · NWS ABR · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Above normal snow melt water along with heavy rain in mid March resulted in flooding on the Big Sioux River throughout Codington and Hamlin counties and on Lake Kampeska at Watertown. 6 feet above, moderate stage, at Castlewood.

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
None recorded
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.

Above normal snow melt water along with heavy rain in mid March resulted in flooding on the Big Sioux River throughout Codington and Hamlin counties and on Lake Kampeska at Watertown. The Big Sioux River rose to over a foot above flood stage at the site above Watertown; 3 feet above flood, moderate stage, near Watertown; and 3.6 feet above, moderate stage, at Castlewood. Flood stages range from 8 to 11 feet from Watertown to Castlewood. Agricultural land along with several roads were flooded.

Lake Kampeska rose to nearly a foot above the flood stage of 21 feet. Several homes were threatened by the high water levels with sandbagging taking place. Sioux Conifer Road along with 10th avenue at the bottom of St. Ann's Hill were just a few of the roads flooded.

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 22, 7:05 AM CST, 1 hour 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 22, 7:05 AM CST, 1 hour 55 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 22, 2:30 AM CST, 6 hours 30 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Aberdeen SD
330 AM CDT Fri Mar 22 2019

MNZ039-046-SDZ003>011-015>023-033>037-045-048-051-230830-
Traverse-Big Stone-Corson-Campbell-McPherson-Brown-Marshall-Roberts-
Walworth-Edmunds-Day-Dewey-Potter-Faulk-Spink-Clark-Codington-Grant-
Hamlin-Deuel-Stanley-Sully-Hughes-Hyde-Hand-Jones-Lyman-Buffalo-
330 AM CDT Fri Mar 22 2019 /230 AM MDT Fri Mar 22 2019/

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for west central Minnesota,
central South Dakota, north central South Dakota and northeast
South Dakota.

.DAY ONE...Today and tonight.

Travelers can anticipate localized pockets of dense fog this morning.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday.

No hazardous weather is expected at this time.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not expected at this time.

Connelly

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, Hamlin

When
March 22, 9:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Hamlin County, 5.78 mi ENE of Thomas to 2.86 mi N of Castlewood
Cause
Heavy Rain / Snow Melt
Reported by
River/Stream Gage
Coordinates
44.800, -97.090

Flood, Codington

When
March 23, 5:00 PM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Codington County, 8.75 mi NE of Florence to 3.57 mi NE of Florence
Cause
Heavy Rain / Snow Melt
Reported by
River/Stream Gage
Coordinates
45.150, -97.210

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 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, March 2019

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: 813894, 813892.