South Dakota, 2020

Flood in South Dakota, September 1 to 29, 2020

September 1 to 29, 2020 · NWS ABR · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The long term and record continuous days of flooding on the James River at Stratford finally came to an end by the end of September. The James River at Stratford was above flood stage for a year and a half from early April 2019 to late September 2020.

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
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.

The long term and record continuous days of flooding on the James River at Stratford finally came to an end by the end of September. The James River at Stratford was above flood stage for a year and a half from early April 2019 to late September 2020.

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 Aug 31, 11:37 PM CST, 23 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 31, 11:37 PM CST, 23 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, Brown

When
September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 29, 11:30 PM CST
Where
Brown County, 2.06 mi ESE of Bath to 5.91 mi SW of James
Cause
Heavy Rain / Snow Melt
Reported by
River/Stream Gage
Coordinates
45.460, -98.290

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 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, September 2020

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: 921859.