Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Bear Butte Creek in Boulder Canyon

Highest listed crest 7.86 ftFlood stage 6.5 ft26 crests since 1998

The Bear Butte Creek in Boulder Canyon crested above flood stage 1 time among the 26 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1998 to 2024. The highest, 7.86 ft on July 4, 2019, was minor flooding, 1.36 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
7.86 ft
July 4, 2019; 1,010 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
6.5 ft
Major flooding from 10.0 ft
Crests at major
0
1 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
July 4, 2019
7.86 ft, minor flooding
Location
Lawrence County
Near Spearfish (13.3 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Bear Butte Creek in Boulder Canyon
Action stage5.53Jun 6, 2008The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)6.51Jul 4, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage8.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage10.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

26 crests from 1998 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Bear Butte Creek in Boulder Canyon, 1998 to 2024 246810ft Flood stage 6.5 ftMajor 10.0 ft Jun 18, 1998: 5.72 ft, action stage; 541 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 2000: 4.87 ft, below flood stage; 199 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2001: 3.76 ft, below flood stageApr 7, 2002: 4.05 ft, below flood stage; 8 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2003: 3.93 ft, below flood stage; 10 cubic feet per secondAug 3, 2004: 3.84 ft, below flood stage; 9 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2005: 4.07 ft, below flood stage; 12 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2006: 4.61 ft, below flood stage; 155 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2007: 5.77 ft, action stage; 545 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2008: 6.08 ft, action stage; 697 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2009: 4.15 ft, below flood stageApr 24, 2010: 4.20 ft, below flood stage; 178 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2011: 4.50 ft, below flood stage; 228 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 2012: 2.75 ft, below flood stage; 10 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2013: 5.18 ft, below flood stage; 356 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2014: 4.97 ft, below flood stage; 320 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2015: 5.04 ft, below flood stage; 332 cubic feet per secondOct 23, 2015: 2.93 ft, below flood stage; 5 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 2017: 2.77 ft, below flood stage; 1 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2018: 3.67 ft, below flood stage; 44 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 2019: 7.86 ft, minor flooding; 1,010 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 2020: 4.32 ft, below flood stage; 116 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 2021: 3.64 ft, below flood stage; 16 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2022: 4.49 ft, below flood stage; 183 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 2023: 4.43 ft, below flood stage; 166 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2024: 4.71 ft, below flood stage; 194 cubic feet per second Highest, 7.86 ft, Jul 4, 2019 200020052010201520202025

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Bear Butte Creek in Boulder Canyon 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 1 1 2020s: 0 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, Bear Butte Creek in Boulder Canyon
1Jul 4, 20197.86+1.36Minor1,010
2Jun 6, 20086.08−0.42Action697
3Jun 2, 20075.77−0.73Action545
4Jun 18, 19985.72−0.78Action541
5May 21, 20135.18−1.32Below flood stage356
6May 29, 20155.04−1.46Below flood stage332
7May 7, 20144.97−1.53Below flood stage320
8Apr 25, 20004.87−1.63Below flood stage199
9Apr 16, 20244.71−1.79Below flood stage194
10Apr 29, 20064.61−1.89Below flood stage155
11May 24, 20114.50−2.00Below flood stage228
12May 31, 20224.49−2.01Below flood stage183
13May 17, 20234.43−2.07Below flood stage166
14Apr 24, 20204.32−2.18Below flood stage116
15Apr 24, 20104.20−2.30Below flood stage178
16Apr 16, 20094.15−2.35Below flood stage—
17May 13, 20054.07−2.43Below flood stage12
18Apr 7, 20024.05−2.45Below flood stage8
19May 15, 20033.93−2.57Below flood stage10
20Aug 3, 20043.84−2.66Below flood stage9
21Apr 7, 20013.76−2.74Below flood stage—
22Jun 22, 20183.67−2.83Below flood stage44
23Jul 5, 20213.64−2.86Below flood stage16
24Oct 23, 20152.93−3.57Below flood stage5
25Aug 26, 20172.77−3.73Below flood stage1
26May 5, 20122.75−3.75Below flood stage10

Other gauges in Lawrence County

Flood gauges in Lawrence County
Galena7.58.34 ft, May 8, 19950
Roubaix11.012.32 ft, May 8, 19950
Lead7.523.40 ft, May 2, 199710
Wyoming-South Dakota State Line12.012.19 ft, Aug 22, 19730
Spearfish7.07.42 ft, May 8, 19950
Spearfish10.010.54 ft, Jun 15, 19760

Lawrence County: every hazard · River floods across the country · South Dakota

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BOUS2, 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.