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Belle Fourche River near Elm Springs

Highest listed crest 25.80 ftFlood stage 19.0 ft100 crests since 1927

The Belle Fourche River near Elm Springs crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 100 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1927 to 2025. The highest, 25.80 ft on May 5, 1927, was major flooding, 6.80 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
25.80 ft
May 5, 1927
Flood stage
19.0 ft
Major flooding from 24.0 ft
Crests at major
2
42nd of 155 gauges in South Dakota
Most recent flood crest
May 22, 2019
20.02 ft, minor flooding
Location
Meade County
South Dakota

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Belle Fourche River near Elm Springs
Action stage17.07Oct 12, 2013The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)19.08May 22, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage22.03Jun 6, 2008Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage24.02May 25, 1933Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

100 crests from 1927 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Belle Fourche River near Elm Springs, 1927 to 2025 0102030ft Flood stage 19.0 ftMajor 24.0 ft May 5, 1927: 25.80 ft, major floodingJun 3, 1929: 15.30 ft, below flood stage; 25,500 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1930: 9.26 ft, below flood stage; 5,480 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 1931: 12.40 ft, below flood stage; 15,100 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1932: 11.90 ft, below flood stage; 14,400 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1933: 24.00 ft, major floodingJun 9, 1934: 6.38 ft, below flood stage; 595 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1935: 15.15 ft, below flood stage; 24,800 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 1937: 16.30 ft, below flood stage; 29,300 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1938: 9.79 ft, below flood stage; 6,910 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1939: 9.03 ft, below flood stage; 1,740 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1940: 9.38 ft, below flood stage; 5,510 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1941: 18.30 ft, action stage; 35,700 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1942: 13.00 ft, below flood stage; 14,500 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1943: 15.10 ft, below flood stage; 21,900 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1944: 17.75 ft, action stageJun 18, 1944: 15.20 ft, below flood stage; 22,200 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1945: 12.97 ft, below flood stage; 13,300 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1946: 16.56 ft, below flood stage; 25,500 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1947: 14.71 ft, below flood stage; 20,400 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1948: 10.88 ft, below flood stage; 8,280 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1949: 12.30 ft, below flood stage; 12,800 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1950: 10.74 ft, below flood stage; 7,240 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1951: 7.40 ft, below flood stage; 1,930 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1952: 13.50 ft, below flood stage; 14,400 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1953: 11.41 ft, below flood stage; 8,740 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1954: 12.09 ft, below flood stage; 10,500 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 1955: 9.57 ft, below flood stage; 3,090 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 1956: 10.22 ft, below flood stage; 2,600 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1957: 10.55 ft, below flood stage; 6,380 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1958: 10.16 ft, below flood stage; 5,470 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 1959: 6.48 ft, below flood stage; 693 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1960: 9.66 ft, below flood stage; 3,760 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 1961: 10.09 ft, below flood stage; 2,090 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1962: 19.31 ft, minor flooding; 37,900 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1963: 10.78 ft, below flood stage; 6,960 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1964: 19.90 ft, minor flooding; 45,100 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1965: 17.15 ft, action stage; 28,000 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1966: 9.07 ft, below flood stage; 3,560 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1967: 13.39 ft, below flood stage; 11,700 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1968: 7.49 ft, below flood stage; 1,500 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 1969: 9.26 ft, below flood stage; 3,440 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1970: 10.53 ft, below flood stage; 5,960 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1971: 12.04 ft, below flood stage; 10,300 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1972: 12.62 ft, below flood stage; 9,810 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1973: 10.30 ft, below flood stage; 5,350 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1975: 12.43 ft, below flood stage; 9,220 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1976: 19.44 ft, minor flooding; 31,100 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1977: 11.17 ft, below flood stage; 6,700 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1978: 15.93 ft, below flood stage; 18,300 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1979: 6.65 ft, below flood stage; 998 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1980: 11.98 ft, below flood stage; 10,200 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1981: 10.59 ft, below flood stage; 4,900 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1982: 22.22 ft, moderate flooding; 40,300 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1984: 13.37 ft, below flood stage; 9,660 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1985: 10.99 ft, below flood stage; 5,630 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1986: 17.58 ft, action stage; 20,000 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1987: 11.35 ft, below flood stage; 6,200 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 1988: 7.61 ft, below flood stage; 1,690 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1989: 7.06 ft, below flood stage; 1,270 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1990: 6.96 ft, below flood stage; 1,220 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1991: 12.75 ft, below flood stage; 9,270 cubic feet per secondJul 12, 1992: 8.83 ft, below flood stage; 3,120 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1993: 16.85 ft, below flood stage; 21,000 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1994: 12.45 ft, below flood stage; 6,000 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1995: 23.72 ft, moderate flooding; 35,000 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1996: 21.28 ft, minor flooding; 39,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 1997: 17.96 ft, action stageApr 19, 1997: 13.45 ft, below flood stage; 12,100 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1998: 17.01 ft, action stage; 22,000 cubic feet per secondOct 17, 1998: 16.27 ft, below flood stage; 19,700 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 2000: 9.99 ft, below flood stage; 5,940 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 2001: 13.17 ft, below flood stage; 3,000 cubic feet per secondSep 20, 2002: 5.77 ft, below flood stage; 625 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 2003: 9.39 ft, below flood stage; 4,580 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 2004: 7.97 ft, below flood stage; 2,730 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2005: 7.45 ft, below flood stage; 2,150 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 2006: 10.26 ft, below flood stage; 5,670 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 2007: 12.38 ft, below flood stage; 9,770 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2008: 23.73 ft, moderate flooding; 47,500 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2009: 19.13 ft, minor flooding; 29,500 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2010: 15.08 ft, below flood stage; 17,700 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2011: 20.09 ft, minor flooding; 35,800 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 2012: 3.25 ft, below flood stageJun 16, 2012: 1.91 ft, below flood stage; 650 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2013: 16.23 ft, below flood stage; 20,600 cubic feet per secondOct 12, 2013: 17.83 ft, action stage; 25,900 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 2014: 19.20 ft, minor floodingJun 20, 2015: 10.58 ft, below flood stage; 6,950 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 2016: 6.91 ft, below flood stageApr 29, 2016: 6.28 ft, below flood stage; 1,240 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2017: 6.79 ft, below flood stageJul 29, 2017: 5.78 ft, below flood stage; 806 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 2018: 16.04 ft, below flood stage; 19,400 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2019: 20.02 ft, minor flooding; 34,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2021: 7.05 ft, below flood stageMay 26, 2021: 5.36 ft, below flood stage; 530 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2022: 9.36 ft, below flood stage; 4,670 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2023: 16.09 ft, below flood stage; 19,200 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2025: 9.66 ft, below flood stage; 5,160 cubic feet per second Highest, 25.80 ft, May 5, 1927 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Belle Fourche River near Elm Springs 1920s: 1 1930s: 1 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 2 1970s: 1 1980s: 1 1990s: 2 2000s: 2 2010s: 3 3 2020s: 0 1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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

The 50 highest of 100 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Belle Fourche River near Elm Springs
1May 5, 192725.80+6.80Major—
2May 25, 193324.00+5.00Major—
3Jun 6, 200823.73+4.73Moderate47,500
4May 10, 199523.72+4.72Moderate35,000
5May 21, 198222.22+3.22Moderate40,300
6May 27, 199621.28+2.28Minor39,900
7May 25, 201120.09+1.09Minor35,800
8May 22, 201920.02+1.02Minor34,200
9Jun 8, 196419.90+0.90Minor45,100
10Jun 16, 197619.44+0.44Minor31,100
11May 28, 196219.31+0.31Minor37,900
12Mar 10, 201419.20+0.20Minor—
13Apr 13, 200919.13+0.13Minor29,500
14Jun 10, 194118.30−0.70Action35,700
15Feb 17, 199717.96−1.04Action—
16Oct 12, 201317.83−1.17Action25,900
17Mar 28, 194417.75−1.25Action—
18May 10, 198617.58−1.42Action20,000
19May 25, 196517.15−1.85Action28,000
20Jun 19, 199817.01−1.99Action22,000
21May 9, 199316.85−2.15Below flood stage21,000
22May 24, 194616.56−2.44Below flood stage25,500
23Jul 13, 193716.30−2.70Below flood stage29,300
24Oct 17, 199816.27−2.73Below flood stage19,700
25May 31, 201316.23−2.77Below flood stage20,600
26Jun 24, 202316.09−2.91Below flood stage19,200
27Jun 21, 201816.04−2.96Below flood stage19,400
28Mar 20, 197815.93−3.07Below flood stage18,300
29Jun 3, 192915.30−3.70Below flood stage25,500
30Jun 18, 194415.20−3.80Below flood stage22,200
31Jun 1, 193515.15−3.85Below flood stage24,800
32Jun 14, 194315.10−3.90Below flood stage21,900
33May 25, 201015.08−3.92Below flood stage17,700
34Jun 23, 194714.71−4.29Below flood stage20,400
35Apr 1, 195213.50−5.50Below flood stage14,400
36Apr 19, 199713.45−5.55Below flood stage12,100
37Jun 15, 196713.39−5.61Below flood stage11,700
38Jun 11, 198413.37−5.63Below flood stage9,660
39Mar 7, 200113.17−5.83Below flood stage3,000
40May 18, 194213.00−6.00Below flood stage14,500
41Mar 15, 194512.97−6.03Below flood stage13,300
42May 13, 199112.75−6.25Below flood stage9,270
43Jun 11, 197212.62−6.38Below flood stage9,810
44Mar 4, 199412.45−6.55Below flood stage6,000
45May 8, 197512.43−6.57Below flood stage9,220
46Jul 3, 193112.40−6.60Below flood stage15,100
47Jun 16, 200712.38−6.62Below flood stage9,770
48Mar 23, 194912.30−6.70Below flood stage12,800
49Jun 10, 195412.09−6.91Below flood stage10,500
50May 23, 197112.04−6.96Below flood stage10,300

The worst floods along the Belle Fourche River

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

June 6, 2008: 23.73 ft here, moderate flooding

May 10, 1995: 23.72 ft here, moderate flooding

May 21, 1982: 22.22 ft here, moderate flooding

  • SturgisSD · May 21, 1982 · 19.10 ft · Major
  • FruitdaleSD · May 20, 1982 · 14.32 ft · Major · its highest

Gauges on the Belle Fourche River

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Belle Fourche River
MoorcroftWY13.014.60 ft, May 19, 19780
AlvaWY5.08.54 ft, May 23, 20111
Wyoming-South Dakota State LineSD15.016.33 ft, May 10, 19950
FruitdaleSD12.014.32 ft, May 20, 19822
SturgisSD15.020.10 ft, Jun 6, 20082
Elm Springs this gaugeSD19.025.80 ft, May 5, 19272

Other gauges in Meade County

Flood gauges in Meade County
Sturgis15.020.10 ft, Jun 6, 20082
Plainview19.022.63 ft, Apr 1, 19521
Elm Springs12.016.22 ft, Feb 18, 19974
Rapid City10.014.40 ft, Jun 9, 19721

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge EMSS2, 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.