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Pipestone Creek at Pipestone

Highest listed crest 21.51 ftFlood stage 16.0 ft34 crests since 1991

The Pipestone Creek at Pipestone crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 34 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1991 to 2023. The highest, 21.51 ft on September 12, 2019, was major flooding, 5.51 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Pipestone Creek crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
21.51 ft
September 12, 2019; 1,647 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
16.0 ft
Major flooding from 20.0 ft
Crests at major
4
34th of 120 gauges in Minnesota
Most recent flood crest
March 11, 2023
16.83 ft, minor flooding
Location
Pipestone County
Minnesota

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Pipestone Creek at Pipestone
Action stage15.01Mar 9, 1992The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)16.016Mar 11, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage18.09Apr 6, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage20.04Sep 12, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

34 crests from 1991 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Pipestone Creek at Pipestone, 1991 to 2023 121416182022ft Flood stage 16.0 ftMajor 20.0 ft Jun 22, 1991: 17.50 ft, minor flooding; 360 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1992: 15.76 ft, action stage; 60 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1993: 20.28 ft, major flooding; 2,650 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 1994: 17.85 ft, minor flooding; 500 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 1995: 17.67 ft, minor flooding; 420 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1996: 16.22 ft, minor flooding; 105 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1997: 18.77 ft, moderate flooding; 537 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1998: 17.54 ft, minor flooding; 451 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1999: 19.03 ft, moderate flooding; 1,260 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2000: 17.59 ft, minor flooding; 394 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 2001: 19.00 ft, moderate floodingMar 28, 2002: 17.78 ft, minor flooding; 362 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2003: 17.10 ft, minor flooding; 260 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 2004: 19.86 ft, moderate floodingSep 26, 2005: 16.57 ft, minor flooding; 160 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2006: 17.95 ft, minor flooding; 515 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2007: 19.49 ft, moderate floodingJun 6, 2008: 17.37 ft, minor flooding; 327 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2009: 17.19 ft, minor flooding; 108 cubic feet per secondSep 23, 2010: 20.22 ft, major floodingJun 14, 2011: 18.50 ft, moderate floodingMay 6, 2012: 20.01 ft, major floodingJun 23, 2013: 16.86 ft, minor flooding; 210 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2014: 16.69 ft, minor flooding; 78 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 2015: 18.15 ft, moderate flooding; 227 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 2016: 16.97 ft, minor flooding; 79 cubic feet per secondOct 3, 2017: 14.74 ft, below flood stage; 178 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 2018: 18.20 ft, moderate floodingApr 6, 2019: 19.73 ft, moderate floodingSep 12, 2019: 21.51 ft, major flooding; 1,647 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 2020: 14.28 ft, below flood stage; 131 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 2021: 13.80 ft, below flood stageMar 11, 2023: 16.83 ft, minor floodingApr 12, 2023: 14.69 ft, below flood stage Highest, 21.51 ft, Sep 12, 2019 200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Pipestone Creek at Pipestone 1990s: 8 2000s: 10 10 2010s: 10 2020s: 1 1990s2000s2010s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Pipestone Creek at Pipestone
1Sep 12, 201921.51+5.51Major1,647
2May 8, 199320.28+4.28Major2,650
3Sep 23, 201020.22+4.22Major—
4May 6, 201220.01+4.01Major—
5Jun 16, 200419.86+3.86Moderate—
6Apr 6, 201919.73+3.73Moderate—
7Mar 14, 200719.49+3.49Moderate—
8Jun 9, 199919.03+3.03Moderate1,260
9Apr 23, 200119.00+3.00Moderate—
10Mar 28, 199718.77+2.77Moderate537
11Jun 14, 201118.50+2.50Moderate—
12Jul 3, 201818.20+2.20Moderate—
13Aug 10, 201518.15+2.15Moderate227
14Mar 31, 200617.95+1.95Minor515
15Aug 10, 199417.85+1.85Minor500
16Mar 28, 200217.78+1.78Minor362
17Apr 19, 199517.67+1.67Minor420
18May 18, 200017.59+1.59Minor394
19Mar 28, 199817.54+1.54Minor451
20Jun 22, 199117.50+1.50Minor360
21Jun 6, 200817.37+1.37Minor327
22Mar 6, 200917.19+1.19Minor108
23Apr 16, 200317.10+1.10Minor260
24Apr 27, 201616.97+0.97Minor79
25Jun 23, 201316.86+0.86Minor210
26Mar 11, 202316.83+0.83Minor—
27Jun 15, 201416.69+0.69Minor78
28Sep 26, 200516.57+0.57Minor160
29Jun 16, 199616.22+0.22Minor105
30Mar 9, 199215.76−0.24Action60
31Oct 3, 201714.74−1.26Below flood stage178
32Apr 12, 202314.69−1.31Below flood stage—
33Mar 4, 202014.28−1.72Below flood stage131
34Aug 28, 202113.80−2.20Below flood stage—

The worst floods along the Pipestone Creek

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Pipestone Creek that crested above flood stage within a week.

September 12, 2019: 21.51 ft here, major flooding

  • PipestoneMN · Sep 12, 2019 · 1,596.74 ft · Moderate · its highest

Gauges on the Pipestone Creek

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Pipestone Creek
Pipestone this gaugeMN16.021.51 ft, Sep 12, 20194
PipestoneMN1,595.01,596.74 ft, Sep 12, 20190

Other gauges in Pipestone County

Flood gauges in Pipestone County
Pipestone44.045.66 ft, Sep 12, 20190
Pipestone1,595.01,596.74 ft, Sep 12, 20190

Pipestone County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Minnesota

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PIPM5, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.