Flood in South Dakota
Every flood event the National Weather Service has filed in South Dakota, year by year, with the most significant episodes. Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
The most significant on the map
The most significant flood episodes in South Dakota.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 2,538
- Deaths
- 6
- Injuries
- 0
- Damage
- $1.2 billion
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Flooding in South Dakota, June 20 to 30, 2024A multi-day significant heavy rainfall event from June 20-22 resulted in widespread rain totals between 5 and 10 inches with pockets in excess of 15 inches across portions of southeast South Dakota, northwest Iowa, and southwest Minnesota.
- Flooding in South Dakota, March 17 to 31, 2019A historic flooding event unfolded as heavy rainfall with a late winter storm drenched the area on March 13-14, 2019.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in South Dakota, May 10, 2015Thunderstorms over southeast South Dakota from late morning to the start of the evening on May 10th produced several tornadoes, including one that caused injuries and severe damage in Delmont in Douglas County.
- Flash Flood and Flooding in South Dakota, June 17 to 20, 2014An area of low pressure over northeastern Wyoming interacted with a stationary boundary across western South Dakota and produced slow moving thunderstorms. With ample low level moisture over the area, the thunderstorms produced torrential rainfall.
- Flooding in South Dakota, June 1 to 30, 2019During crop planting season, prolonged flooding led to the loss of or inability to plant crops across the area. Crop loss estimates provided by the United States Department of Agriculture.
- Flooding in South Dakota, June 1 to 30, 2019Spring snowmelt and heavy rain flooding from March, April, and May continued into June. This combined with above normal June rainfall resulted in hundreds of thousands of acres of crops damaged or unplanted across central and northeast South Dakota.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in South Dakota, June 5, 2008Thunderstorms produced numerous events of tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds over southeast South Dakota from late morning through the evening of June 5th. The thunderstorms also produced heavy rain which resulted in flash flooding at several locations.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in South Dakota, June 19 to 22, 2015Two rounds of severe weather developed across central South Dakota during the afternoon and late evening hours. The first round of thunderstorms developed during the early afternoon hours of June 19th and quickly produced hail up to two inches in diameter.
- Flooding in South Dakota, March 13 to 15, 2019Rainfall of one to three inches on frozen ground and into a snow pack with between 2 and 5 inches of liquid water equivalent resulted in considerable overland flooding.
- Flooding in South Dakota, September 11 to 16, 2019A frontal zone remained locked in place under southwest flow aloft as a series of mid-level waves moved across the region over a three day period.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in South Dakota, June 16 to 18, 2014Thunderstorms produced numerous events of large hail, damaging winds, flash flooding, and areal flooding across most of southeast South Dakota from late morning through the evening of June 16th. The areal flooding was a longer term event and persisted through much of June 18th.
- Flooding in South Dakota, April 1 to 30, 2019Runoff from significant early spring precipitation during the first couple of weeks of April maintained flooding along portions of the James River. Much of the basin experienced as much as 1 to 3 inches of liquid equivalent precipitation through April 14.
- Flooding in South Dakota, July 1 to 10, 2005Heavy rains of three to seven inches fell across far eastern Brown, western and northern Day, and most of Marshall counties in late June causing widespread flooding. The flood waters slowly receded through July 10th.
- Flooding in South Dakota, July 1 to 31, 2022Due to above-normal rainfall, the James River continued to flood from June into and through July near Columbia, Stratford, and Ashton. Significant amounts of agricultural land was flooded along with a few area roads, as river gauges reached moderate to major flood categories.
- Flooding in South Dakota, March 13 to 31, 2019A historic flooding event unfolded as heavy rainfall drenched the area on March 13-14, 2019. With frozen and impervious ground, full and rapid runoff was maximized.
- Flooding in South Dakota, June 11 to 13, 2008Widespread flooding continued across Grant and southern Roberts counties through the much of the 13th. Cropland and roads continued to be flooded into the 13th.
- Flood in South Dakota, April 1 to 23, 2019High water levels persisted through April, with continued damage to road and drainage infrastructure.
- Flooding in South Dakota, April 1 to 30, 2019The continuation of snowmelt from a much above normal snowfall winter combined with a historic heavy snow/blizzard in mid-April resulted in widespread flooding across central and northeast South Dakota.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in South Dakota, May 17 to 18, 2018Extreme rainfall and severe weather occurred along a stationary frontal boundary extending across the region. Thunderstorms training over the same area brought rainfall amounts from 3 to over 13 inches causing extensive flash flooding.
- Flooding and Heavy Rain in South Dakota, May 21 to 27, 2019A powerful storm system slowly moved from the Four Corners region northeastward through the Plains, leading to a prolonged period of precipitation across western South Dakota May 20-22.
- Flooding in South Dakota, September 11 to 30, 2019Spurred by a period of excessive precipitation from September 10-12 that resulted in 5 to 10 inches of rainfall in the middle to upper reaches of the Big Sioux River Basin and 2 to 5 inches from Sioux Falls downstream, extreme rises occurred mid-month, with many basin locations…
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in South Dakota, May 22 to 23, 2016A cluster of severe thunderstorms tracked slowly northeastward from Nebraska across south central South Dakota during the late afternoon and evening. Large hail and strong wind gusts were reported across Todd and southern Tripp Counties.
- Flooding in South Dakota, April 1 to 30, 2011Major flooding of the James River, other streams, lakes, and general flooding, which began with a rapid March snowmelt, continued through April. Water levels with the more general areal flooding were at the highest at the start of April.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in South Dakota, June 2 to 3, 2026From June 2-4, 2026, a series of disturbances tracking across the region within broad zonal flow set off several rounds of thunderstorms to the region.
- Flooding in South Dakota, April 9 to 18, 2023The snowfall during the season in northeast and central South Dakota exceeded normal levels, with many locations ranking among the top 10 for the snowiest seasons.
More
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 2026-09-24.