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Bear Butte Creek near Galena

Highest listed crest 8.34 ftFlood stage 7.5 ft39 crests since 1989

The Bear Butte Creek near Galena crested above flood stage 3 times among the 39 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1989 to 2024. The highest, 8.34 ft on May 8, 1995, was minor flooding, 0.84 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
8.34 ft
May 8, 1995; 1,590 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
7.5 ft
Major flooding from 11.0 ft
Crests at major
0
3 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
July 4, 2019
7.58 ft, minor flooding
Location
Lawrence County
Near Spearfish (14.0 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 near Galena
Action stage6.03Mar 11, 2010The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.53Jul 4, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage8.50—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage11.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

39 crests from 1989 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Bear Butte Creek near Galena, 1989 to 2024 4681012ft Flood stage 7.5 ftMajor 11.0 ft May 12, 1989: 4.47 ft, below flood stage; 26 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1990: 4.45 ft, below flood stage; 27 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1991: 7.70 ft, minor flooding; 938 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1992: 4.31 ft, below flood stage; 21 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1993: 5.20 ft, below flood stage; 119 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 1994: 5.17 ft, below flood stage; 102 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1995: 8.34 ft, minor flooding; 1,590 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1996: 5.99 ft, below flood stage; 264 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1997: 7.34 ft, action stage; 350 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1998: 5.79 ft, below flood stage; 214 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1999: 5.47 ft, below flood stage; 135 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 2000: 5.50 ft, below flood stage; 140 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 2001: 4.70 ft, below flood stage; 43 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2002: 5.23 ft, below flood stage; 98 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2003: 5.11 ft, below flood stage; 80 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 2004: 4.40 ft, below flood stage; 23 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2005: 4.55 ft, below flood stage; 32 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2006: 5.49 ft, below flood stage; 131 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2007: 6.09 ft, action stage; 256 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 2008: 5.85 ft, below flood stage; 201 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2009: 5.44 ft, below flood stage; 128 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 2010: 6.06 ft, action stageMay 14, 2010: 5.41 ft, below flood stage; 127 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2011: 5.72 ft, below flood stage; 183 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 2012: 5.04 ft, below flood stage; 80 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2013: 5.83 ft, below flood stage; 215 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2014: 5.63 ft, below flood stage; 172 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 2015: 5.78 ft, below flood stage; 211 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2016: 5.14 ft, below flood stageJul 18, 2016: 4.53 ft, below flood stage; 35 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 2017: 4.25 ft, below flood stage; 19 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2018: 5.32 ft, below flood stage; 123 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 2019: 7.58 ft, minor flooding; 930 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 2020: 5.76 ft, below flood stageApr 15, 2020: 5.09 ft, below flood stage; 91 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 2021: 5.18 ft, below flood stage; 102 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2022: 5.19 ft, below flood stage; 101 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 2023: 5.71 ft, below flood stage; 196 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2024: 5.47 ft, below flood stage; 148 cubic feet per second Highest, 8.34 ft, May 8, 1995 1990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Bear Butte Creek near Galena 1980s: 0 1990s: 2 2 2000s: 0 2010s: 1 2020s: 0 1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 near Galena
1May 8, 19958.34+0.84Minor1,590
2Jun 5, 19917.70+0.20Minor938
3Jul 4, 20197.58+0.08Minor930
4Apr 6, 19977.34−0.16Action350
5Jun 1, 20076.09−1.41Action256
6Mar 11, 20106.06−1.44Action—
7May 30, 19965.99−1.51Below flood stage264
8May 8, 20085.85−1.65Below flood stage201
9May 21, 20135.83−1.67Below flood stage215
10Jun 18, 19985.79−1.71Below flood stage214
11May 17, 20155.78−1.72Below flood stage211
12Mar 17, 20205.76−1.74Below flood stage—
13May 22, 20115.72−1.78Below flood stage183
14May 17, 20235.71−1.79Below flood stage196
15May 7, 20145.63−1.87Below flood stage172
16Apr 24, 20005.50−2.00Below flood stage140
17Apr 30, 20065.49−2.01Below flood stage131
18Jun 12, 19995.47−2.03Below flood stage135
19Apr 16, 20245.47−2.03Below flood stage148
20Apr 16, 20095.44−2.06Below flood stage128
21May 14, 20105.41−2.09Below flood stage127
22May 29, 20185.32−2.18Below flood stage123
23Apr 7, 20025.23−2.27Below flood stage98
24Jun 8, 19935.20−2.30Below flood stage119
25May 31, 20225.19−2.31Below flood stage101
26Jul 5, 20215.18−2.32Below flood stage102
27May 6, 19945.17−2.33Below flood stage102
28Feb 24, 20165.14−2.36Below flood stage—
29May 15, 20035.11−2.39Below flood stage80
30Apr 15, 20205.09−2.41Below flood stage91
31Aug 10, 20125.04−2.46Below flood stage80
32Apr 23, 20014.70−2.80Below flood stage43
33May 19, 20054.55−2.95Below flood stage32
34Jul 18, 20164.53−2.97Below flood stage35
35May 12, 19894.47−3.03Below flood stage26
36May 4, 19904.45−3.05Below flood stage27
37Jul 1, 20044.40−3.10Below flood stage23
38May 10, 19924.31−3.19Below flood stage21
39Jun 11, 20174.25−3.25Below flood stage19

Other gauges in Lawrence County

Flood gauges in Lawrence County
Bear Butte Creek in Boulder Canyon6.57.86 ft, Jul 4, 20190
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 GLNS2, 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.